Vessels
by futurerelevance
Summary: Hayley is a xenobiologist and avatar driver. Onui'lk is a member of the Eastern Ikran Clan. Their experiences together and apart will play a crucial role in the events after the assault on the Tree of Souls. Sequel with reference to past events.
1. Prologue: Psionics

Prologue: Psionics

In the link there is no capacity for thought, but some of us still remember.

I've heard some people describe it as traveling through a nerve, like an electrical impulse. Others see strange colours and sounds, floating and morphing together into groups of meaningless patterns. Or chaos, or both.

The mind, our minds, travel through the air on a series of carefully calculated oscillations, a signal that captures everything that is supposed to be us, moving it from one brain to another. I've always wondered if it's really me waking up on the other side. While I'm exploring the forest, walking along the avatar compound, or collecting samples, my body and brain is still in the link unit. As an avatar, I don't belong to myself anymore.

In the first few years of the Project they used to do continuous sync, transmitting each firing neuron to the avatar as it occured. But the farther you got out, the more static you encountered. It would start off as small tics, in the hands and face, and if you were stupid enough to keep going you might lose the signal altogether. Then the viperwolves would close in, devouring your body before the marines could arrive on the scene.

Now the connection goes both ways. In the initial download your brain state is copied, thought for thought, into the avatar. From there the link mainly reverses direction, keeping your human mind informed of the brain state in your Avatar, encoding new memories in your human tissue. That way, if you get lost in the Hallelujah Mountains, the worst thing that might happen is that you have to get back in range before coming back.

But, in other words, things can get out of sync. And when that happens, which one is really you?

Does a new person form behind this sapphire skin?

It's concepts like these that make you want to believe in a soul or spirit, something that stays intact which you travel between your two bodies. All I know is, when I lose consciousness in the link unit I gain it again in the avatar compound. Maybe consciousness is the key, what keeps us from becoming two people. Let's hope so.

The fact that some people experience strange things while traveling through the link doesn't help the case against the spiritual. I've seen it myself once in awhile, if you can describe it as seeing. It's like going to sleep – when your thoughts start to fragment and you start experiencing the early hallucinations that blur the line between sleep and wakefulness. Images and sounds start flashing at you in dark.

It's like that, except there isn't any darkness, and the world explodes into a cacophony instead of organizing itself into a dream.

None of the scientists here, myself included, understand what happens during the transmission. My very unscientific guess is that, traveling as wave, the other waves rub off on you somehow, making new ripples in your experience. I am comforted somewhat by the fact that no one else seems to have come up with an explanation.

I wonder what it's like traveling in the wire - Pandorian style. The na'vi call it _passing through the eye of Eywa_. I remember first hearing about it, and experiencing it for myself, at one of Dr. Augustine's lectures in the avatar compound. Dr. Augustine's line of expertise was xenobiology, so a lot of people criticized her for liking plants more than people. I found it interesting that the people who made those kinds of comments arrived after the incident at the school.

Running through almost all of Pandora's vegetation, with perhaps the exception of unicellular organisms, is an interconnected system of nerves and neurons. No one plant has a brain of its own, but the mass of life on Pandora as a whole has more connections between individual organisms then the synaptic connections of a human brain. In short, Pandora could be more intelligent than us.

Pandorian biointelligence is still in the theory stages, though, and the process of analysis takes even longer when samples and data has to be shipped to another planet five years away. That's not to say that we don't have the resources to analyze our own findings, but everything has to be submitted, and approved, for more funding to come our way.

When Dr. Augustine explained her findings in the jungle and experiences with the Omaticaya clan, I found the idea intriguing, but it was her demonstration that solidified the prescence of what the na'vi call _Eywa_ in my mind.

"Everyone gather around this tree."

We left the avatar compound in the afternoon, and had followed a dirt path into the jungle for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Far enough in the jungle to see some of the more interesting specimens, but close enough to the compound to avoid the biggest predators, who for the most part had learned to stay away from the gun turrets mounted on the compound walls.

The tree was the largest in the near vicinity. Trees on Pandora seemed more alive, their trunks coated with moss and other organisms, bioluminescent vines hanging from their branches. There were seven of us gathered around the tree, sweating even in the light clothing.

_I wonder if I'm sweating back home._

I knelt by the base of the tree and saw small tendrils emerging from the gnarled roots as they plunged into the earth. Reaching out, I ran my azure fingers over the nearest growths. I felt a strange prickling in them, like static.

"Our instincts, when we encounter something new," Dr. Augustine said, "are to try to understand it in terms of all our senses. Our senses are our only sources of information about the world – otherwise, we are completely self-contained." I watched her walking around the tree, addressing my colleagues. I watched her tail whip from side to side as she walked until she turned to look at me. I met her glance, and a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, acknowledging me.

"Almost every single organism that has evolved on Pandora," she continued, walking past, "Has developed a new way to gather information about the world. When we think that our senses are deceiving us, we often turn to another person to confirm what we have experienced. We try to ask as many people as possible if what we've seen is what we think we've seen, what we've heard, and so on. The principle behind this is simple; the more senses we question, the clearer the picture of reality that emerges.

"Turning to as many sources of information as possible in order to construct reality allows an intelligent organism to create an accurate model of the world. In doing so, that organism can avoid dangers and find benefits like food and shelter, things that contribute to survival. As organisms become more intelligent, more complex models must be constructed. It follows logically that more mistakes can also be made.

"What if, instead of trying to collaborate with the other intelligences around you, you could become a part of a greater intelligence? What if you could tap into a great database of experience that was accessed directly from your brain? Imagine how much more efficient that could be than any of the resources humans and other earth-dwelling species currently have."

I looked around, and noticed some skeptical looks coming from around me. I focused my attention back on Dr. Augustine as she knelt by the roots of the tree.

"Just follow my lead." She said, and felt for the single braid reaching down her back. Taking the end between her fingers, she brushed it along the tendrils sprouting from the roots of the tree. Following her actions, I ran my hand down my avatar's queue, reaching around until I had the end in my hand, in front of me. I reached down and held it against the root.

"Don't be alarmed, you may feel a little disoriented at first," Dr. Augustine cautioned.

I watched the white sinewy neural tentacles emerge, outstretched, from within the nest of hair. The braid protected what was essentially an antenna. The na'vi feel about a naked queue the same way humans feel about naked genetalia; it is their most private of appendages.

The tendrils caught together, tentatively as first, and then intertwined. I felt the same prickle of neural electricity, this time in my brain. It was slightly painful, but I barely registered the sensation before my entire mind was flooded with images, sounds, and feelings.

_I was seeing the tree from all angles_, and I realized that I was looking at it through the eyes of everyone around me. As for what we were thinking, I couldn't decide whether I know what everyone else was thinking or that I was simply now part of everyone. Beyond my collegues there was more too, as I stretched my senses out into the roots and beyond, into the other plants. I began to feel like I was losing my sense of self. I became inundated with the flow of knowledge and sensation coming from the jungle around me. Frightened, I quickly withdrew. My vision narrowed until I was only seeing with my own eyes, and the thoughts of the others stopped echoing in my own head.

I emerged from the link to see that everyone was in shock, tugging their queues from the tree.

"I believe that the activity is localized, to an extent, due to the sheer distances that information must travel in a system the size of a planet," Dr. Augustine said as we all tried to compose ourselves. She noticed all the looks of confusion, and smirked.

"The na'vi train themselves to sort through the barrage of information at a very young age. It takes a high degree of concentration. I urge you all to keep practicing to we can better understand the nature of this biointelligence."

"Did anyone see Eywa?" Li joked.

Dr. Augustine's mouth formed a thin line as she looked at the avatar had spoken.

"Back to the compound, everyone," she said curtly, "It's starting to get dark. Meet me in the conference room after dinner. I want everyone to vlog their experience today."

As Dr. Augustine stormed off down the dirt path, I heard a snicker behind me. Li nudged my arm and I looked at him.

"This day and every other day. Uptight bitch," he muttered, with a half-grin. Li's avatar had been engineered recently, and had a smoother blend of human and na'vi features than mine. It still looked like him, though, his asian features apparent in the contours of his face.

"Li, you idiot," I snapped. "Nobody cares what you think. Keep it to yourself."

"If you were paying attention when we all mindfucked each other back there," Li snapped, "You would know that I don't hate the na'vi. Do you really think I would spend five years of my life in cryosleep to study a group of insane aliens? You both need to relax."

I shook my head and sighed, running my fingers through my hair. I wore it loose, like all the other avatars. It would be an insult to wear our hair in the style of the People, since none of us had been accepted as one of them. Except maybe Augustine, to a degree. A little na'vi girl had given her beads to wear.

"You're right. I'm just all a bit freaked out from…that, I guess." I finally said, giving the tree a meaningful look. "There's a lot of tension between us and the Omaticaya nowadays. Even the smallest thing we say could set them off."

"It's ok," Li said, touching my shoulder again. His na'vi body, stripped to the waist in the heat, made him look leaner, more sinewy. "They've never let me come near them. Not even close."

"They haven't let me come close in years," I replied.

I looked into the forest, wondering if there were Omaticaya watching us at this very moment.

"I wanted to help them."

"If we were really trying to help them, we would leave," Li said.

"Do you really feel that way?"

"Maybe. But don't tell Grace."

I nodded. The sun was beginning to set. The bioluminescence of the forest began to gave off the faintest glow. In the twilight, I could hear the cries of viperwolves.

"We have to go," I said.

He nodded, and we started down the path after the others.

I couldn't help but think of our conversation as I leapt into the control room at Hell's Gate with the others, assault rifle pointed at the head of RDA administrator Parker Selfridge.


	2. Chapter One: Loose Ends

Chapter One: Loose Ends

It was as if the sun had fallen into the earth.

Wings flaring, the dark Banshee recoiled in mid-air, causing the female na'vi rider to cling to its twisting neck. The pair fell backwards through the air in a flurry of leathery skin.

"Tswayon, Eskareil!" she cried hoarsly, and together they righted themselves, wings pumping furiously.

The shockwave from the blast pounded them, driving them upwards. Fighting against the wind, she crouched and he narrowed into an arrowhead. The wall of air threatened to knock them over again. Onu'lk/Eskareil held together as one as it screamed all around them.

When it was over, the Ikran opened his wings up into a level glide, catching the wind currents. The sun was rising again – an enormous ball of fire was lifting up in front of them on a pillar of smoke, into the sky. Onu'lk could only watch, golden eyes widened in horror, mouth open in disbelief.

She had heard what the sky people were capable of, but never could she have imagined the reality of the bomb. She muttered a short prayer to Ey'wa under her breath, forcing down tears. The explosion had blown a gaping hole in the forest, and now the fires were beginning to spread outwards. She watched as the ikran summoned by Ey'wa swooped among the flames, fanning them out with their own wings.

Urging Eskareil to fly faster, Onui'lk swept her gaze over the horizon, looking for the Tree of Souls and the na'vi clustered around in prayer. Flying over the broken swirls of magnetized rock, squinting through the smoke, she was finally able to spot the faint glow of the Tree of Souls. She whooped, raising her bow in the air. The humans had not been able to destroy it – they had won!

She saw that beneath them, in the rainforest, the lightning snaps of gunfire began to cease. Concentrating her sight on the forest floor beneath the canopy, she watched the flow of humans and machines slow, then stop, then begin to change direction.

Onui'lk guided her companion forward. They began to circle the monstrous crater as fire and smoke billowed into the sky. The heat from the flames washed over them, almost unbearable in the jungle climate. The bleed of fire was beginning to slow from the hole in the earth, a smoky scar emerging. She urged Eskareil to go closer.

As they slowly spiralled, Onu'lk could catch glimpses of the na'vi surrounding bands of human soldiers, shoving them and binding their arms. As she turned once more around the smoke column, she saw a great palulukan running through the forest with a streak of blue, quickly disappearing into the undergrowth. She saw other animals, 'angtsìk and nantang, battling the last strugglers. Above and behind her, in the floating mountains, a great flock of wild mountain ikran mingled with the other warriors. She could not see the toruk makto – where was the leader of the Omaticaya, Jakesully?

Onu'lk was of the Eastern Sea Clan. Their leader had gone with Jakesully into battle, along with all the warriors of their clan. Soon into the battle Onu'lk had seen her red-painted chieftess fall out of the sky, along with her mount. She dove after them but was not fast enough. Rider and ikran crashed into the forest to the floor below. By the time she pulled out of the dive and looked at her surroundings, she was far out of the range of battle. She had wept for the loss of their matriarch, then swung high into the mountains once more, bow readied.

Now that the battle was over, she plunged once more into the forest, looking for survivors. She closed her eyes. All ikran had two sets of eyes. The first was for seeing light and colour, and they saw movement best. The second, smaller eye, was for seeing the heat of prey. It was more difficult to perceive living bodies in the steaming heat of the jungle, and Onu'lk tried to close off the distractions coming from her own eyes, which would interfere with Eskareil's abilities.

Bodies both na'vi and human choked rivers, lay sprawled over plants and rocks and underneath pa'li. There were small fires everywhere from fallen wreckage of the air battle above. She had not seen the fires before - the canopy had given way to the debris without breaking, camouflaging the destruction of the forest below. The huntress/ikran pair wove in and out of trees, skimming over rocks and rivers.

Through Eskareil's eyes, she saw the dying bodies dimming as they cooled, and moved on. Most of the survivors has crawled, limped or had been carried away, so it seemed. Eskareil spotted a dim spark ahead at last, and together they slowed. With a swift beating of wings, they alighted on the forest floor.

Onu'lk sniffed, and her nose suddenly filled with the stench of burning flesh and rotting sulfurous plants, a smell she had detected before in the air battle when the human weapons had deployed. Before she disengaged her neural whip from Eskareil, she saw the reflection of herself in his eyes. The purple, blue and white lines painted on the curves of her body and face were streaked with sweat and blood. The feathers in her braided hair were tattered, but the beaded costume that covered her chest and wrapped around her torso seemed to be more or less intact. She delinked, and Eskareil fluttered his wing and shook his head.

"Wait here." She said.

She stalked through the undergrowth, bow readied, crouching low. She had seen what a bullet could do, and had no desire to encounter a living human soldier without the advantage of her ikran. Those who had fought this battle on the ground had been inspeakably brave – she would forever hold the deepest respect for the warriors of the Clan of the Pa'li.

Whoever lay ahead smelled like a na'vi, but another odor pierced her nostrils and she was wary. She lifted the tendrils of a nearby vine, and saw the lithe blue body. Covered in human clothing caked in dried blood, it lay sprawled at the base of a tree among several other corpses. Pointing her bow at the prone figure, she crept closer.

He was alive, but unconscious. Tentatively laying her bow to the side, she leaned over him, feeling for his pulse with two slender azure fingers. It was faint, but there. There was not enough blood on his shirt to have drained him of life, she realized thankfully. Pulling a bone knife out from a hip sheath, she gently cut away at the fabric on his upper torso until she had exposed the wound. There were several holes where bullets had penetrated, and she could see the glint of bloody metal from each hole.

She would try to reach him in his unconsciousness, to reassure him as she worked. It was a common practice for healers or lovers, to try to share the pain, to make it more bearable when spread between two. Sliding her hands down her braids until she found the end of her whip, she pried his from underneath his body, and slowly placed them together. She watched the pink tendrils intertwine, and felt a sharp burst of energy in the back of her skull.

She gasped involuntarily. There was nothing there. He was brain dead. She pulled away immediately, revulsed. It did not make sense - his heart was beating, his eyes moved beneath the lids. And then she realized. The male was a dreamwalker, like the mate of the Omaticaya matriarch.

She took up her knife again, gently easing the bullets out of the body. The bullets had not penetrated the tough bone of his ribcage, but in places the ribs had cracked. With each piece of metal that emerged, fresh blood welled in the wound. She found a healing herb nearby, stuffing it into the wound to help staunch it. She whistled for Eskareil, and when he came she reached into the pouch tied to his body until she found a roll of cloth to wind around his torso. She strapped him onto Eskareil's back, jumped up, joined whips, and lifted off the forest floor.

_To the Tree of Souls,_ she thought. It was so strange, so alien. How was it possible to have two bodies at the same time? Where was the human who belonged to this body?

* * *

_Trudy!_

The remains of the Samson lay in the jungle like a crumpled dragonfly. Norm dropped his gun and sprinted towards the wreckage. He found the charred cockpit door, twisted the handle, and pulled. The door opened bit by bit, screeching with each frantic jerk of Norm's hand. The metal was still hot, searing his hands.

The door flew open with the last pull. Norm almost didn't catch her as her body slid out of the cockpit. Letting her gently to the ground, he groped inside the cockpit for an oxygen kit. He held the mask to her face, pressing it until he heard the click.

He blinked, his eyes blurred with tears.

"Fuck no Trudy, don't do this. You fucking fight! You always fight. Fight for me!" he yelled, shaking her forcefully.

He held her, her limp body in his steel arms. Around him the Na'vi cheered and whooped fiercely as they hunted down the last soldiers.

He couldn't keep track of how much time had passed until the ventilator began to hiss next to his ear, and in that hiss he finally heard his name.

"Norm."

He turned to look at her. Her eyes were open, barely, and her mouth was ajar. He felt her chest rising and falling in the slightest motion.

"Trudy, can you hear me?"

Her cracked lips formed a smirk.

"I hear you, Norm Spellman."

He laughed with relief. His eyes welled, his vision blurred.

"So, how bad is it? I can't feel anything." she began to strain her head, eyes moving downwards.

"Don't move, it's ok," Norm reassured her, taking the back of her head in his hand as she relaxed. Her head shifted slightly to the side, and Norm saw fluid coming from her ear, running down the burn marks on her neck.

"I think the fall injured your spine, Trudy. We have to get you back to Hell's Gate so they can fix you up."

Trudy closed her eyes. "They don't have the stuff there that they need to fix this. They'd have to ship me back home, and that's not gonna happen. We're traitors."

Norm shook his head. "The Na'vi can help you."

"They can't fix this, Norm, and you know that," she wheezed. She was having trouble breathing. Norm adjusted the oxygen levels on the mask.

Trudy opened her eyes again. It seemed like a great effort. She looked at him with red-rimmed eyes.

"Bring me to Eywa."

"Do you think she – do you think Eywa can fix you?" Norm asked incredulously.

"She can either fix me or let me stay with her," Trudy said. "Either way, I'm good."

They began shouting for help.


	3. Chapter Two: Assault

Dr. Matthew Lucas received news of his promotion shortly after he heard the gunshots that signaled Dr. Augustine's defection. He had been in the Biolab dissecting a section of helicoradian when the alarm sounded and successive cracks of a gun sounded from above him.

Lucas was well into his fifth decade, and had been working alongside Augustine for around twenty of his life, not counting the six it took to reach Pandora. He had begun to drive an Avatar in the last five years, using it to explore the forest for biological material to run through the lab, and it was still in its physical prime, having been engineered fairly recently. He was stuck in the lab, however, most of the time.

Leaving the sample and tools behind, Lucas slid his chair over to the nearby computer station. As he approached, the curved projection screen flickered into life. He quickly manipulated the screen, scanning his ID to access the security camera feed. Cycling through a few, he finally found a camera mounted on the building outside. Through a covering of protective wire mesh he caught a glimpse of a Samson helicopter lifting off from the hangar and into the sky.

He returned to his work, shutting off the screen. Watching the feed, he had confirmed what he already knew would happen. He had been in the control room to watch the destruction of Hometree. The negotiations between the RDA and the Na'vi had failed, and Quatrich had gone ahead with the demolition. He had seen Grace and Sully tied up, struggling as fire and explosions erupted around them, and watched as they were untied, loosing sight of them as they escaped into the jungle.

He wouldn't forget the way Grace had snarled "MURDERERS!" at all of them when she emerged from the link unit, fighting off security as they dragged her to the holding cell. Sully had just stared blankly, stunned, until the guards lifted him out of the unit. After the two had been taken away, Lucas had watched the screens for a while longer, looking over the gnarled and smoking remains of the enormous felled tree, then went back to the lab.

He had just begun to apply small amounts of electricity to the neuromuscular system of the plant sample when the door to the lab bust open and Quartich stormed in. He was pale, as if suffering from oxygen deprivation.

"Lucas!" Quartich snapped, striding through an array of scientific equipment, computer terminals, and scattered desks strewn with datasheets.

"Sir." Lucas stood, straightening his lab coat. Though not part of the militia, all scientists and anthropologists had received training in arms – and military conventions – when they first arrived on Pandora. It was essential to have training in the hostile environment they would all be working in.

"It seems like we have a situation on our hands," Quartich said, arriving at his desk. Lucas noticed that his breaths were shallow and rapid, and he could smell trace amounts of Pandorian atmosphere coming from the Colonel. What the hell had just happened?

"In the absence of the appropriate authority, I'm promoting you to director of the Avatar program," he continued. "In addition to your current duties, you will now be supervising the other avatar drivers and communicating your activities and progress to Administrator Selfridge. In short, you will be taking over for Augustine. I suggest you find someone to assist you with your work in the lab."

Lucas nodded.

"Yes sir."

"Glad we're on the same page, Lucas."

Quartich left as quickly as he had come. Lucas rubbed his eyes with a gloved hand, then discarded the glove in the trash receptacle beside his desk. Hanging up his lab coat on the wall, he looked around the room. There were only two other scientists working in the lab, engrossed in their work. Lucas wondered if they had even paid attention to his discourse with Quartich.

"I need someone to continue my experiment," he said, and one of the researchers looked up. "Call someone if you can't do it your self," he finished, and headed through the automatic door to the link room.

* * *

Warning lights flashed and emergency signals blared in the command centre at Hell's Gate. There was screaming and a frantic scrambling for emergency oxygen masks. Avatars began pouring into the command centre, all armed. They leapt through the broken window, disengaging the air locks to let others in.

"I got him, Lucas."

Dr. Lucas's avatar turned to see driver and xenobiologist Hayley King leveling a gun at the head administrator of the RDA. Selfridge, freshly masked and gulping air, immediately threw up his hands.

"What the hell do you think you're all doing –" he said, stepping backward.

"Don't move you fucking son of a bitch!" she snapped, shoving the gun towards him. All around the command center holo screens displayed images of the ongoing battle. Lucas moved to a control desk, deactivating the decompression alarms.

"Look!" Li shouted, gesturing at the screens. All of them had gone white. Everyone went quiet, watching as the glare slowly faded. Some of the cameras cut out, and the screens quickly switched to new feeds.

"The explosives!" King shouted. She turned and bared her teeth at Selfridge, letting out an inhuman hiss. In her rage, Na'vi instinct was beginning to take over.

"Where did the bomb land?" Lucas said, gun gripped tightly in his avatar's hands and pointed towards the dozen or so technicians with theirs held in the air.

"Get a camera on the tree," Selfridge gestured nervously to the nearest technician.

It was still there.

They could see the soft glow of the tree's tendrils, surrounded by a sea of praying Na'vi. The avatar drivers let out a collective cheer, as did some of the technicians.

"All of you here were almost responsible for destroying that," Lucas said at last, pointing a blue hand at screen still displaying the column of smoke. "You may not feel like you were directly responsible, but all of you here played a role in the near-genocide of these people."

"Tie them all up and put them in the cargo room." Lucas finished. He turned to Hayley. "Except him. Keep him here."

She nodded.

"Get down," Hayley snapped.

Oxygen mask hissing, Selfridge dropped to his knees.

"All of you will be arrested once the military gets back," he said, raising his voice over Hayley's gutteral growl.

"Sir," came a voice from a console. It was a woman technician. "The militia have been captured and are returning to base. I've just received word that Quartich is down. We've lost."

"So much for that idea, Selfridge," said Li. "You better hope that the Na'vi don't decide to make you a part of their victory feast."

"The Na'vi don't eat human flesh," Lucas said, "So they will most likely dismember him and leave him in the forest to be eaten slowly by some other organism."

"That works just as well for me," Li replied, smirking.

Gasping noises suddenly came from the far side of the control room.

"My mask is malfunctioning!" a man cried, stumbling around his console. "I can't…breathe-"

He passed out, sprawling over floor.

Grabbing for a spare mask on the wall, Li nimbly sprang through the consoles until he reached the prone figure. He quickly made the switch, and the man stopped hyperventilating.

"We've got to get all these people out of here," said Lucas.

"I'll go," Hayley said. "I'll delink and meet you on the other side so we can bring them through."

Lucas nodded. "Fast, Hayley."

Hayley cleared a space on the floor of debris and lay her body down. She closed her eyes.

"Set me up."

Finding the nearest computer, Lucas scanned his ID. He patched into the terminal in the link center, found Hayley's unit, and began the delinking process.

Hayley plunged into chaos.

* * *

"Norm…"

"Norm, come in…what's your position?"

Jake readjusted throat mike, now wrapped around his human neck, and tried again.

"Norm, state your position and status."

He shook his head.

"I can't get anyone."

"Maybe it is broken." Neytiri offered. They sat in the clearing by Jake's avatar body, waiting; Neytiri cross-legged on the forest floor and Jake in his chair.

"Try yours." Jake shifted in his chair, trying to get a better look at the sky. "Are you sure he'll come if we wait here?"

"Once the bond is made, Ikran will know where his other half will be always," Neytiri said, reaching up to take Jake's small hand in hers. "I think it is the same with Toruk." With her other hand she touched her neck.

"Can anyone hear me? Come in, please. Neytiri and Jake are here."

They waited for a time, in silence, and then –

With a hiss and crackle, they hear the deep and melodious voice of a female Na'vi.

"What is she saying, Neytiri?" Jake asked.

Neytiri closed her eyes, ears swiveling slightly. "It is difficult. She does not speak like Omaticaya." She touched the reply button on her neck again, and began speaking in her own language. They talked back and forth, too rapidly for Jake to even pick up the gist of what they were saying.

"She is of the Eastern Ikran clan." Neytiri finally. "She has found the body of Norm. He has been hurt badly, from a gun."

"Norm's dead?" Jake asked.

Neytiri's eyes grew wide, and she quickly shook her head. "No, no, it is his dreamwalker body. And the body is not dead. She is bringing it to the tree, to heal."

A shadow passed over them. Jake looked up to see the Great Leonopteryx batting his orange wings as he descended into the clearing.

He turned to Neytiri.

"We have work to do."


	4. Chapter Three: Hell's Gate

The white cylindrical link unit slid out the pod, extending out of the wall. With a loud click the locks disengaged, and the upper portion of the unit began to lift upwards with a mechanical whirr.

Slamming the skeletal sensors aside with her hand, Hayley leapt out of the unit, landing squarely on her feet. She began to run through the link room, ponytail swinging from side to side, boots clunking against the metal floor.

The room was bathed in ambient blue light emanating from the set of giant embryonic tubes used to house the avatars. About two-thirds of the containers contained avatars, either still in the developmental stage or in a cryogenic sleep. Storing the avatars when unused for long periods of time helped prolong their lifespan and prevented their muscle mass from degrading.

She quickly cleared the link room and began sprinting down a corridor, then another, until she reached the large metal door leading to the command room. There was no signal, but red lights flickered on and off along the perimeter of the door, indicating that the atmosphere beyond the door was unbreatheable for humans. There was an airlock between the command center and the corridor. Consulting the small screen on the wall beside the door, Hayley could see that the process of oxygenating was nearly complete.

Finally, the door slid open, the air smelling slightly of the alien gas. They had loaded the unconscious man onto a coffee cart – not the most dignified of stretchers, but it worked. There were two others who were slightly injured by the broken glass, and a man who appeared to be uninjured, who was pushing the cart.

"You're Max Patel, right?"

Max nodded, taking off his mask. It came off easily, depressurizing with a hiss of escaping air. "Yeah. Don't worry; I'm on your side. You can trust me. I already explained to Lucas, and he wouldn't have sent me through if he didn't believe me."

"Let's walk and talk," Hayley said, motioning everyone in the direction of the medical room. She strode alongside the injured, making sure everyone was keeping up. "So what exactly did you tell Lucas that made him trust you?" she said, addressing Max.

"I was helping Jake Sully the whole time," Max said. "Ever since he escaped with Augustine and Spellman into the mountains. I set up an encrypted link. I was giving them intel."

"You showed Lucas the link?"

"I did. I opened it up and looked around the portable link room they've got there." Max replied. "All the windows were smashed though, and the link units were open. I didn't see any bodies, though."

"I guess that means there's a good chance that none of them are dead, then," Hayley said, turning a corner. The door to the medical room was painted white with a large red cross running down the middle. The doors slid open noiselessly, and they stepped inside.

It was complete chaos. Solders were everywhere. People were running, shouting. Small medical robots hovered in the air, moving from patient to patient. On the far wall, Hayley could see that a holo screen had been set up in lieu of a window; since Hell's Gate had been constantly under attack for as long as the base had existed, windows were a vulnerability they couldn't afford.

As Max and the others continued down the ramp into the heart of the facility, Hayley had a closer look at the screens, narrowing her hazel eyes. There was a group of nurses in masks, outside the compound, with stretchers on wheels. She watched as a band of na'vi warriors, dressed in a frightening array of bones, feathers, leather and war paint, rode up to the airlock on direhorses. They dismounted, helping the injured soldiers do the same, and handed them over like children to the nurses. The solders were ushered and wheeled into the airlock as the na'vi rode away, into the jungle. Even more casualties were coming, on banshees.

The airlock on her far right began to open, and the soldiers Hayley had seen outside tumbled into the medical room. Nurses quickly sorted out the casualties and assigned them to stations. Hayley spotted a familiar face among them.

"Norm!" she shouted, jogging over. He seemed to be uninjured, but he was with someone else, lying on a stretcher. She looked badly burnt. As the nurses began to wheel the injured woman over to an unoccupied section of the room, Norm followed, barely giving Hayley a glance.

She caught up with Norm.

"What happened?" she asked, as they walked through the injured and incapacitated in the ward.

Norm didn't respond right away, but after a few moments, he finally seemed to wake out of his stupor. When he looked at Hayley, she could see that his eyes were red and swollen.

"It's Trudy, she…her helicopter crashed in the forest," he said.

Hayley jogged her memory for a second. _Trudy_…yes! Norm had mentioned her once or twice, in the avatar compound. They had been playing basketball, toning their muscles, trying to compensate for the periods of inactivity when they delinked.

"I haven't seen you around as much lately, Norm," she had said, dribbling the ball from side to side. She loved being in her avatar. Maybe it was just the effect of the Pandorian gravity on her human body, but when she was out of the link she felt slow, lethargic. In her avatar she was nimble, energetic, catlike in her reflexes. And she looked about five years younger.

"Believe it or not, I've been busier now that Jake's made contact with the Omaticaya," Norm said. "Pass me the ball."

"How so?" She hurled it at him, but he caught it effortlessly, gripping it in his sinewy blue hands. His tail snapped back and forth as he lined up to make the shot.

"Grace has got me on teaching duty. I'm teaching Jake some of the local language." The basketball passed through the hoop with a satisfying swoosh. It moved slower in the gravity, Hayley noted. She sprung forward and was able to catch it in mid-air.

"And I'm seeing someone," Norm added stealthily, with a shy grin.

Hayley landed on her feet and swung around in one fluid moment. She was showing off, but didn't care. She looked at Norm.

"Do I know her? Is she a driver?"

"She's a pilot. Her name's Trudy." he said, smiling to himself.

"Military, hmm? What's she like?" Hayley waved her tail from side to side playfully, her ears opening in interest.

"Well, she's…strong," Norm said. He looked as if he was starting intently at something in the distance as he thought. "She's a tough person, been through a lot, you know? But she's really sweet, too, if you get on her good side."

"You better not break up with her," Hayley joked, "or she'll kick your ass."

"She already does," Norm laughed, "if I do anything stupid."

"Well, I'd love to meet her sometime. She seems like a good fit for you. Bring her over here sometime."

"I'll see. She's really busy, shipping soldiers in and out of the jungle on missions," Norm replied. "I'll see if she can give you a ride in her helicopter sometime."

"I've been in a Samson before, if that's what you mean," Hayley said. "I guess the old guy who used to ship us into the forest retired. I haven't gone too deep for awhile, not after…well, you've heard about what happened."

They went back to playing basketball after that, and soon after, Norm left for the Hallelujah Mountains with Jake and Grace. Life for Hayley and the rest of the team had gone on as usual, except that they would get together every week in the evening and watch Jake's video logs, hungry to hear the experiences Jake was having among the na'vi.

"I think she's sleeping now," Norm was saying, jolting Hayley out of her reminiscing. Trudy's eyes were shut, her body lax, and she was breathing in and out slowly. She didn't seem to be experiencing any pain, which Hayley was grateful for, for Norm's sake.

"Are you going to stay here?" Hayley asked gently.

Norm nodded, looking at Trudy's unconscious figure.

"If you want, I can stay with you," Hayley offered. She put her hand on Norm's arm. Norm started to shake, and before she knew it she was holding him as he wept.

Hayley had never comforted a man before, and it was somewhat unsettling. Unsure what to do, she hugged him awkwardly, with stiff arms. Eventually she relaxed, drawing him in closer, telling him it would be all right. Soon enough, Norm withdrew. Hayley could see that he felt embarrassed, but he looked too exhausted to say anything about it. She decided that it would be best not to mention it either.

One of the nurses approached them hesitantly.

"Excuse me, but are you Norman Spellman?"

"I am," said Norm.

"There's…someone wants to see you," she said. "I think her name is Onyuilk. She's just outside the airlock. I can bring you a mask."

"A na'vi," Hayley said. "I wonder what she wants." She paused. She didn't want to seem overbearing, but decided to offer her help again. "I can come with you if…"

"Can you stay with Trudy?" Norm asked. "Please, just until I come back."

"Of course, Norm," Hayley replied, "I'll stay with her until you come back."

"Thanks." She could see that Norm was extremely grateful for her help. She began to feel awkward again.

The nurse arrived with the mask. Taking it in his hand, Norm bent over Trudy, kissing her forehead. Strapping the mask on, he left for the airlock. Hayley watched him leave, and then, taking a chair, sat down beside Trudy. Holding her hand, Hayley watched as the medbots started hooking her up to life support.

* * *

"_I see you, Normspellman_."

As Norm emerged out of the airlock and into the glare of the setting sun, he saw the tall shadow of the female na'vi, flanked by her equally intimidating Banshee mount. She was a wild blue Amazon towering over him, streaked in war paint, hair full of long white feathers, torso cloaked in beads. Her gold eyes glinted fiercely.

"_I see you_." Norm lowered his head in deference for a moment, and then met her gaze again. "_May I inquire for your name?_"

"_My name is Onui'lk te Ikolu Le'ajir'ite_," she replied. "_Let me tell you why I have come. I was flying through the forest, looking for warriors that had survived the battle but were too injured to seek help. My ikran, Eskareil, found your body at the base of a tree. I tended to your wounds and took you to the Tree of Souls. Your body is very weak, but it is recovering_."

"_I thank you, warrior_," Norm replied, absorbing all that she had said.

Onui'lk laughed.

"_Your Na'vi is very formal_," she said. "_But you speak it well. I can take you to your body when you are ready_."

"_I can not go at this time_," Norm replied. "_There is a woman who is hurt here, who I must watch over_. "

"_Is she your mate?_" Onui'lk asked.

Norm took a deep breath.

"_Yes._"

Onui'lk's eyes widened slightly, her ears flattening. For a brief moment, she seemed at a loss for words.

"_I have heard of the strength of your healers. If I have heard correctly, she is in good hands. Our people, however, would be glad to help you and your mate if you so desire_," she said. Reaching behind her neck with both hands, Onui'lk untied a charm from around her neck. It was a slender bone flute, carved into the shape of a diving ikran.

"_This is a symbol of our people,"_ Onui'lk said. "_If you offer it to one of us, they will help you_. _If you play it, I will come_." She placed the charm in Norm's hands, closing his fingers around it with her own.

"_I will be near. I will go now to watch over your dreamwalker body_." Onui'lk dipped her head in a clattering of bone and beads. Eskareil approached and bowed alongside her, offering his queue. Taking it in her hand, she linked with him, and swung up and over, gripping his body between her legs. With a whoop they took off together, soaring over the barbed-wired tipped walls and gun turrets, towards the Tree of Souls.

As she left, the sun flickered briefly, and Norm looked into the sky. Jake's leonopteryx was descending towards the base, Neytiri riding alongside Jake, Jake's na'vi body clutched in its talons.


	5. Chapter Four: Animation

The great leonopteryx descended, outstretched wings stirring the dusty air with every sweep. Na'vi and human alike stumbled out of the way as it landed with a booming screech, claws scraping against the concrete of the airfield.

Neytiri delinked and lunged forward, landing gracefully on her feet. Reaching up, she untied the ropes binding Jake's wheelchair. Pulling it loose, she placed it on the ground.

"Come, Jake."

Jake slowly relaxed his hands and let himself slide down the creature's still-heaving flank. Neytiri caught him in her arms as he fell, helping him into the chair.

Jake looked around the airfield, peering though the smog that descended on them from the exhaust pipes above. Hundreds of na'vi warriors were emerging from the forest, carrying and prodding captive human soldiers. Damaged AMP suits limped by, riddled with arrows. Towering around them were several massive excavation vehicles – looking at the nearest one, he could see that the glass of the cockpit was smashed, a blue figure holding a knife to the driver's neck within.

"They're bringing everyone here." he said, mostly to himself. "All the humans."

He heard something over the rumble of engines and mechanical parts. It was someone calling his name. Rotating around in the wheelchair, he oriented his body towards the direction of the noise.

Two avatars were coming towards him, male and female, dressed in combat fatigues. They were both holding their shirts over their faces in an attempt to filter out the smoke. Jake hadn't realized how filthy the air was in the base – he had never come here as a na'vi, and as a human the mask had filtered out the majority of the caustic odor. Neytiri had her hand over her nose and mouth, exhaling sharply, trying to drive the stench of burning refuse out of her nose.

"Sully!"

It was the male that had spoken his name. Both the male and female jogged the last few yards until they reached Jake and Neytiri. Neytiri took a small step backwards, until she was in a slight crouch over Jake's na'vi body.

"It's alright, Neytiri," Jake said, under his breath. "They won't harm us."

She nodded, and straightened her posture. One of her hands still lingered around the sheath of her ikran claw dagger.

"I don't know if you remember us," the avatar said through the shirt, narrowing his golden eyes. "My name is Matt Lucas. I drive an avatar, but I mostly work in the lab. We've met before, once. This is Hayley King, xenobiologist."

Jake nodded. "This is Neytiri. We're mated for life."

Lucas smiled. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Neytiri."

Neytiri paused, tense, uncertain of how to respond. Jake quickly realized that she still held some degree of hostility and wariness towards other humans.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," she echoed.

Hayley realized that she was staring at the na'vi woman, and averted her eyes. Neytiri was incredibly beautiful, in a fierce way. She was a slim blue tigress, striped in vibrant war paint, her hair and body covered in dust, dirt, and smeared with blood. She would have been quite fearsome in battle.

"We've got Selfridge," Lucas continued. "in the holding cell on level B2. If you come with me, I can show you-"

"Bring him here," Jake said abruptly. "We're taking him to the Tree of Souls, right now. I want to show him what he's done to the People."

Lucas nodded. "We'll bring him out."

"I need to link up again first. Meet me here in ten minutes," Jake commanded. "Neytiri, stay here and guard my body. I'll be in the link soon."

"Hurry please, Jake," Neytiri replied. "This place feels wrong. It is an intrusion."

"I'll be right back, I promise," Gripping the wheels of his chair hard, Jake began to pump his arms, following Lucas and King as they guided him back into the base.

* * *

Eskareil was tiring.

In the last moments of sunlight Onui'lk dipped under the canopy to the forest floor below. Guiding her ikran, they swooped low, pulling up sharply to come to a rest among the twisted trunks and vines.

She reached down to pat Eskareil's flank.

"_We have worked hard today. Go, find food_."

Onui'lk delinked and descended, feeling damp moss under her feet as they touched the earth. Eskareil quickly launched again into the sky, in search of prey.

She was standing at the edge of a pool of water. The water was a clear and crystal blue. The surface of the pool glimmered with the last light of the setting sun, while the bottom glowed a soft purple-pink from the bioluminescence of the algae below. Small fish painted with the same brilliant patches flickered and darted in the waters.

The pool was fed by an enormous set of waterfalls cascading down the face of a cliff, the result of a great chunk of earth ripping away from the surface by the planet's magnetic forces to float in the sky. The waterfalls themselves shone with an inner light; above them, great intertwined branches formed a series of natural bridges that crossed from one side of the pool to the other. Onui'lk wondered whether they had occurred naturally, or if ancient ancestors had guided the roots there.

She was tired, and hungry, but also dirty. The battle had left her streaked with blood, sweat, and dirt. Running her hands over her braids Onui'lk could feel small twigs lodged here and there. Reaching behind her neck, she undid the clasp tying her bead wrap and let it slip to the forest floor. Untying her loincloth, she rolled it up and placed it beside the beads. Finally, she placed her bow and quiver on the ground.

One foot, then another, Onui'lk began wading into the pool. The ground was velvety soft and slick, coated with aquatic plants. Lilies and other weed like organisms waved gently in the current. Looking above, she could see aytawtsngal and ayatokirina' floating amidst the towering trees.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Onui'lk plunged headfirst into the water, submerging her body. Beneath the water she took powerful strokes with her hands, propelling herself forward in the direction of the waterfalls. As she swum into deeper waters, she focused her vision until the bottom became clearer. It was a trick she had learned as a child, with great amounts of practice. Most of the children of her clan spent the majority of their time in the Eastern Sea diving for small marine animals, and as a result their eyes had become accustomed to seeing underwater.

Her body cried out for air, and at last she went up to the surface with a strong kick of her legs. She emerged at the bottom of one of the smaller waterfalls. Here the current was not as strong, and she was able to approach it with little difficulty.

She let the water rush over her face and body. She rubbed the paint off her limbs, watching small plumes of colour disintegrate in the rushing water. She removed the fragments of wood from her hair as best she could, and looked carefully over her body for cuts and other wounds. At last, she plunged under the water completely, swimming back to shore.

She emerged from the pool, wet and clean. Under her skin, points of bioluminescence began to glow over her face and body. Walking over to the small bundle of clothing, she dressed herself again. Slinging her bow over her body, she set off through the jungle.

Climbing the great arched roots, she quickly ascended into the understory. With the violet light of aytawtsngal illuminating the way, she sprung from tree to tree, using her arms and legs to propel herself. She spotted a cluster of woodsprites, pulsing gently. Onui'lk changed direction slightly, moving away from them. Woodsprites always spread away from the Tree of Souls, searching for new ground in which to spawn new trees.

With the spindly white seeds as her guide, Onui'lk pressed onward. She soon reached the field of battle – small fires still flickered over the dead, the last remnants of the destruction inflicted by human explosives. She passed above the carnage, dodging splintered wood and scorched branches.

Night had fallen. Shadows of massive stone columns loomed overhead, visible through the canopy. Moving faster, Onui'lk began to hear voices. People were singing, talking, and moaning in pain. She noticed a faint pulse of light was running through the bioluminescent vegetation around her like a heartbeat.

Launching herself into the air, braids flying, she grasped the flat leaves of a nearby plant to slow her fall until she reached the forest floor. Once she reached the ground she set off, running with the pulse of light, nimbly moving from root to root until she reached the lip of the crater that contained the tree.

It was the first time she had been to the Tree of Souls, but somehow it felt to her like home. Thousands of na'vi, mostly Omaticaya, filled the valley from the lip to the base of the tree, spilling over into the forest beyond. In the very center, a group of na'vi sat clustered together; from a distance it was difficult to tell, but they seemed to be moving in unison.

Many of the tree's roots extended out of the depression and over the lip of the crater. In some clans, Onui'lk had heard of a legend of a ball of fire falling out of the sky long ago. It was said that the meteor smashed into the earth, causing the earth to move and the great stone columns to form. Soon after, the tree began to grow from the ashes. Putting such thoughts aside, she quickly scrambled down the length of the root until she reached level ground.

The old yet intimidating Mo'at was crouched at the base of the tree, tending to the injured Tsu'tey. Onui'lk approached, palms open.

"_I see you, wise matriarch_."

Mo'at nodded but did not rise. She was busy trying to quell the flow of flood from the base of the warrior's skull. "_I see you, sea-warrior_ _Onui'lk._" Mo'at had a slight difficulty pronouncing Onui'lk's name, due to the slight difference in dialect. Besides the occasional oddness, however, they were able to understand each other and communicate fairly well.

"_I know that you are busy_," Onui'lk said. "_I will be brief. I spoke to the human and he is not ready to join with his dreamwalker body. I will care for it until he has finished caring for his mate."_

"_If he does not return to it soon, the body will die_," Mo'at replied shortly. "_It is weak, it needs nourishment. The others can wake to eat, and he can not_."

"_Perhaps I can help. Where is the body_?"

Mo'at extended her left hand, pointing, and Onui'lk spotted the strange-clothed male among the rest of the injured. Carefully stepping among them, she crouched by Norm's head. Extending a finger, she placed it on his neck and checked his pulse – it was still there, and he was breathing shallowly.

Onui'lk closed her eyes, massaging them gently with her fingers. She focused on her breathing, inhaling and exhaling deeply until she had calmed her nerves somewhat. The first time she had tried to connect with Norm's avatar, she had felt a deep revulsion at touching the brain of one who was absent.

Opening a pouch on her hip, she removed a handful of nuts and fruit, placing them on the ground between them. She took another deep breath, steeling herself. Reaching behind her, she extended her queue, and taking his in her hand, she linked together with him.

There was the emptiness again, the trace of memories whispering in her mind. Gently, she extended her consciousness until it began to fill the void, turning it into a kaleidoscope of thought and being. She pushed herself further, carefully keeping a part of herself lodged firmly in her own mind so that she would be able to find her way back.

She opened Norm's eyes, and found that she was looking at her own body. Finding it too overwhelming to look through four sets of eyes without another thinking consciousness to absorb the information, Onui'lk closed her own body's eyes. She concentrated, and was able to slowly move Norm's hand towards the fruit and nuts. The hand had an extra finger on it that Onui'lk was unable to move; unless she concentrated all her energy upon it, in which case it gave the smallest of twitches.

She used the hand to grasp the nuts and slowly brought it to Norm's mouth. She chewed carefully, trying to keep the movements as smooth as possible. Once she had succeeded in chewing the nuts, she swallowed them carefully. As she felt the food travel down his throat, she felt his hunger pangs. It had been a very long time since the avatar had eaten last, an errant memory told her. Other images threatened to flood her consciousness, but she held them at bay. It was taboo among all na'vi to read another's mind without their permission.

They continued in this fashion, Onui'lk guiding Norm's body through eating, until the food was gone. Laying him on the ground again, Onui'lk withdrew, back into her own body.

When she emerged she too lay on the ground, panting anxiously, trying to regain her wits. Being in the avatar's body had been a difficult task. There was a part of him that was human, not of this world, and made him nearly non-compatible with her own mind. Even now she could feel the vestiges of a phantom fifth finger twitching on her own hands, among other unusual sensations. She was committed to keeping him alive, though.

Lying in the light of the tree, Onui'lk began to drift into the depths of unconsciousness herself, until she heard the roar of Toruk. Lifting her head, she saw the Last Shadow pass in front of the soft blue radiance of Polyphemus, descending through the night to land at the lip of the crater.


	6. Chapter Five: Contact

Jake was perched at the head of the toruk, resplendent in the beads, feathers and bones of his warrior costume. Behind him Neytiri was crouched, hands clasped around his waist. There were two others behind her. Willing his mount to bow to the ground, he motioned to Hayley to dismount first. Awkwardly, she swung her leg over the creature's back and slid to the ground, landing hard. Next came Selfridge, falling into the grip of Hayley's arms. She helped him to the ground while keeping him firmly in her grasp. Hayley hadn't brought a weapon out of respect to the na'vi, so she was doubly cautious about keeping him close. Still, she supposed, there wasn't anywhere he could escape to from here.

Neytiri climbed down and wove through the crowd until she reached Mo'at. Embracing her mother, she knelt beside Tsu'tey's figure, laying a hand on his forehead. Tsu'tey stirred, opening his eyes, taking in a raspy breath.

Neytiri looked to her mother.

"How did it happen?"

"He was shot by human warriors," Mo'at said, placing her own hand on Neytiri's shoulder. "Another human did this – "

Mo'at gently took Tsu'tey's head in her hands, and tilted his head to the side. All that was left of his queue was a bloody stump. Horrified, Neytiri let a gasp escape her lips. They had cut it. If he healed, he would never again hear the voice of Eywa, of the ancestors. He would never ride his Ikran. To cut the queue of a na'vi was to inflict the greatest suffering to both body and soul. It was the greatest insult imaginable to any of the People.

Turning around, Neytiri sprung toward Selfridge with a screech.

"Wait!" Hayley yelled. Though it went against the majority of her instinct, she pushed Parker to the ground, crouching over him.

Jake leapt down from his mount. Moving quickly, he caught Neytiri in his arms. She struggled against him, eyes filling with tears.

"Jake, let me go! He told them to cut Tsu'tey, he _made_ them do this!" she yelled hoarsely, pounding at his chest with her fists. Her ears were completely flattened, her fate contorted with rage and grief. "My father, now Tsu'tey…" She couldn't finish. She broke down, uttering a string of na'vi curses, which soon faded into an unintelligible sob.

"I know," Jake said, holding her as she slowly stopped struggling and allowed herself to weep in his arms. Rising to her feet, Hayley dragged Selfridge off ground roughly.

"This is only the beginning," she spat. Her voice was pure venom. "You know that, don't you? Have a look around."

Parker looked. The wounded were being tended to by their families, as the dying were taken away on makeshift woven stretchers. All around he could hear the long, drawn-out sobs of women mourning the loss of their mates. The weeping, the chanting and the prayers, all of them grated in his ears. None of them showed any kind of constraint, any modesty towards death. He could imagine what a funeral would look like – savages pulling out their hair, throwing themselves into some sort of funeral pyre. Death was something universal, something to be taken with grace, with dignity and acceptance. It disgusted him.

He sighed.

"It's a shame," he remarked, avoiding Hayley's stare, "that none of you will get to see the same happen on Earth. The obtanium we were mining here was being shipped back to make air and water purifying plants. I'll look, Ms. King. But imagine this happening around the entire planet, to billions, to your own species. Just count yourself lucky you were able to switch sides."

"Are you saying that it's all right to kill one race so that another may survive?" Hayley's grip on his arm tightened, her large blue hand dwarfing its' length. "The na'vi shouldn't have to pay for our mistakes."

"Aren't you lucky that you happen to be one of them now. The people who engineered that body for you so you could play Pocahontas are going to be dead in the next ten years if we don't find resources to keep our planet running."

"I couldn't help hearing your conversation," Jake snapped, looming over Selfridge. Neytiri stood behind him, trembling, her anger barely kept in check.

"Funny thing," Jake continued, raising his voice so that everyone in the vicinity of the tree could hear. "If we hadn't killed our own mother, then we wouldn't have needed a surrogate in the first place."

"Our generation inherited this problem," Selfridge retorted, raising his voice as well. "Are we supposed to stop trying, to give up the fight? The history of humankind has always worked this way – we survive by conquering."

"The na'vi have a different way," Jake replied. "You should have paid closer attention to them, instead of calling them savages."

"We were like them, once. It will happen to them to, in due course. We might even have started it early. We taught them how to farm, and soon they'll all be fighting over the land just to that they can feed themselves. Soon they'll outgrow their own planet."

"You're wrong. It doesn't have to be like that. We're living in tune with our mother."

Selfridge snorted.

"You want me to take that seriously? It's fucking hippie bullshit, Jake. You know what life is like without technology? It's disease-ridden, filthy, hard, dangerous, and short. Sooner or later you won't want to settle for it."

"Better than no life." It was Neytiri. She looked at Selfridge, meeting his eyes with hers, her expression calm but grim. "You will never know what our life is. You will never know the beauty of it. Your heart is too full of greed."

She raised her hand, making the motion of pushing him away.

"You should not behere." A murmur or approval rippled around the tree.

"We're going to sit here, now," Jake announced, "and negotiate the release of the surviving humans on Pandora, in exchange for them leaving the planet, permanently."

A great cheer arouse from the na'vi. Hayley could hear the females ululating, the males whooping. She released her hand from Selfridge's arm, and stepped away.

A na'vi woman was approaching them, slowly walking up the slope. Silhouetted in the soft luminous glow of the Tree of Souls, her figure was more curvaceous than that of Neytiri's, more feminine. She was lightly clad, a thin shawl of tinted glass beads covering her upper torso and silken loincloth, glinting with the moon and planetlight. Her shoulders and neck were bare, revealing striped skin the colour of deep sapphire. Several white feathers sprouted from her braided hair which reached to her waist, gathered away from her face. Her body glowed in swirling patterns of bioluminescence, tiny points scattered over her face and body like stars.

"_I see you_," she said, her voice deep and smooth. There was no trace of fear or anger in it. Na'vi voices often sounded deeper to human ears – their larger voiceboxes had a lower resonation, although the effect was lessened somewhat by the different makeup of gases in the Pandorian atmosphere.

"_I see you_," Hayley replied. "_I am Hayley King, a friend of Jake Sully_."

"_I am Onui'lk te Ikolu Le'ajir'ite. You are a dreamwalker, then, am I correct?_"

Hayley nodded. It was a struggle to follow Onui'lk. It had been a long time since she had been able to converse with a native – she hadn't realized how much of the na'vi language had been slipping away from her. Adding to this difficulty was the strange accent that this woman had. She was not of the Omaticaya, it seemed.

"_I am a dreamwalker_."

"_The body of a dreamwalker, Normspellman, is here. He must come join his body soon. I am taking care of him, but it is a struggle. I do not know how much longer I will be able to do so_."

Hayley had last seen Norm as he returned to Trudy's bedside. She had said a brief goodbye to him before she had raced back to the link unit, to help Matt. She had told Jake about it on the way to the Tree. One of the things they would be negotiating over the course of the night was Trudy's transport back to Earth; she had a severe spinal injury, and needed the medical equipment back there in order to fix it. Parker Selfridge had been sympathetic, which genuinely surprised Hayley; still, he wasn't optimistic about it.

Even if we get her back, he had said, they'll make sure she's breathing and throw her in jail for life. They're not going to fix her spine on her benefits.

"_Norm is still at the base. I do not know how much longer he will be. I will tell him that he is running out of time_." She wasn't looking forward to it. She didn't want to bother him with this, not now. If Trudy was leaving, would Norm go with her? Would they both wind up with a life sentence for treason?

"_How is his mate?_"

_His mate?_ Hayley wondered. _How did she know about Trudy? Had she spoken with Norm?_

"_She is very badly hurt, but alive at the moment," _Hayley replied."_She may go back to our home planet, to heal. But I do not know. She fought with the na'vi today. The humans are greatly angered with her_."

"_I see_," Onui'lk replied. "_Norm may go with her, and leave his body behind_."

"_There is a chance. I must speak with him first."_

Onui'lk nodded. There was a silence between them, for a moment.

"_What will you do? I have heard what the others are saying. They will let some humans stay. Will you stay here, or return?_"

The question took Hayley off guard. She had planned on staying on Pandora indefinitely, but a lot had changed. There had been a battle, and many people would be leaving. She didn't know which of them would be her friends. And maybe it would be better to leave – she had been accepted, briefly, among the People, but she wasn't sure it would happen again. She thought about how she could express this to Onui'lk.

"_If I stay I want to be part of the People. But I do not know if they will take me. I am willing, but I know that it is difficult for you to trust me._"

Onui'lk laughed at this. Her laughter was bright and melodic.

"_It is only difficult to trust one that you have not seen. I see you, Hayley. Perhaps it would have been different if things had not happened in this way. Perhaps I would have been more cautious. You are, after all, from a new world. But I have come to you and seen your character and mannerisms, and I see you now. You have a good spirit. You are open to me, and do not seek to hide anything. You can come with me, and I will show you the ways of my People_."

What an invitation! Despite all of the things Onui'lk had said about her, she couldn't help but be a little cautious herself.

"_But what if the rest of your People deny me?_"

"_They will not, I promise. I will let them see you and they will know." _Onui'lk grinned._ "They will find you somewhat strange, as I do, but they will trust me. I will show you everything. I will teach you."_

She was so open, Hayley thought, her head reeling. The Omaticaya had been so guarded. It was true, everything she had said, about being more cautious in different circumstances. Still, she couldn't believe it. After all that happened, with Grace Augustine and the school and the banishment – she was going to be accepted again as part of the People.

Hayley was overcome. She lowered her head.

"_I can not tell you how grateful-_ "

Onui'lk laughed again.

"_Do not be this way. It is simple. I have fought today and slain many of your people, and for that I am sorry. Your people slaughtered the matriarch of my clan, and that of the Ikran clan, and for that I am sorry as well. But I do not wish to harbor hatred and sorrow in my heart any longer. It is not you who caused this to happen. Let us move on, and mourn together afterwards, together._" She extended her hands.

Hayley extended hers in turn, five fingers each held by four. Tears began running down Hayley's face. She couldn't believe it. Maybe she was being too optimistic, but she didn't care. She would try.

"_All right, I will. First, though, we see what comes by dawn_."

Onui'lk nodded.

"_We will see_."


	7. Chapter Six: Departure

The negotiations were completed shortly after dawn.

Jake and Parker Selfridge, along with the remaining clan leaders, had discussed the terms of the surrender. Neytiri and several other Omaticaya took turns translating between na'vi and English as the participants debated back and forth. Onui'lk and Hayley watched from a short distance, sitting together among the faintly glowing tree roots; Hayley would try to explain certain concepts that Onui'lk did not know, while Onui'lk would correct her if she used the wrong word or grammar construct. Hayley noticed other na'vi watching around and behind them, trying to pick up the gist of the conversation from the responses of the other clan leaders and their own conversation.

In the end, Selfridge couldn't guarantee that humans would stay away from Pandora forever.

"Even if the RDA keeps out of Pandora," Selfridge had said, "That won't stop other colonists. You're going to have to deal with humans coming here from other places, looking for a new life."

"The na'vi will allow human settlers to come," Jake had replied, "as long as they respect us and live in harmony with the planet. As long as they are able to live like us, we will accept them."

"_Humans live on other planets than one_?" Onui'lk said, keeping her voice low as not to disturb the proceedings.

Hayley explained as best she could. When humans had first left Earth, she said, colonies had been first established on the Moon and Mars in the home system of Sol. Terraforming projects were underway at both locations, but it was a highly expensive process. It was easier to travel to planets that could already support life. Pandora was the most recent of a handful of such planets discovered by humans. It was possible that future colonizers would be interested in the planet.

"_It is interesting," _Onui'lk said, "_traveling to and living on other worlds. I wonder if we will ever leave our home planet."_

"_It is better not to need to_," Hayley replied. "_Humans do not have a choice in spreading themselves over many planets if they are to survive_."

Onui'lk grew silent for a small time, watching as Selfridge spoke. She looked intently over his face and body, the clothes he wore, the oxygen mask on his face.

"_I can not imagine what life without the tsaheylu would be like_," Onui'lk said at last. "_Your people seem lost, cut away from bonds, you see_." She gestured with her hands, moving them away from each other, trying to indicate disconnection. "_Perhaps humans seek to restore their connection with the world through artificial means_."

"_Your people do not bond with everything_," Hayley countered. Onui'lk had touched a nerve, sending a pang of longing through Hayley's body. It was true – she was only here artificially. Her real world still lay in the bowels of Hell's Gate, and even that place was an artificial construct itself.

"_There is no need to bond with every individual if we are all connected to a whole_," Onui'lk replied. She smiled. "_Eywa is everything that is and was – once you know her, you come to know everyone. We can not help but succumb to conflict with others now and again, but that is only because we are not perfect beings."_

Hayley noticed a movement in the crowd. Mo'at walked among them, stopping at Jake's side. She bowed her head slightly, beads rustling.

"Tsu'tey wishes to speak with you."

Jake nodded. "Tell him I'll be right there."

* * *

Tsu'tey lay on a stretcher among the roots of the Tree of Souls. Mo'at had tended to him well; Jake could see blood-smeared wrappings over the largest wounds, while smaller cuts on his face and arms were covered with a plant salve that glistened. Despite his broken and battered body, Tsu'tey still looked fearsome in the remnants of his war paint. As Jake and Neytiri approached, he struggled to raise his head. Mo'at crouched behind him, supporting him as best she could.

"_I see you, Jakesully_."

Jake knelt at his side. He bowed his head, and then looked into Tsu'tey's eyes.

"I see you, _Tsu'tey te Rongloa Ateyitan_."

Tsu'tey met Jake's eyes with his own. His hand reached up to grip Jake's arm. Jake did the same, wrapping his own hand around Tsu'tey's forearm. Neytiri knelt at his other side, smiling faintly at him through a mask of grief.

"Are the people safe?"

Jake nodded. "They're safe."

Tsu'tey's body went limp. Now that he knew the struggle was over, the strength he had previously amassed to fight simply melted away, the fierceness of his expression fading. Reaching behind his head, Tsu'tey felt the bloodied stump that had been his queue, turning his head to show Jake.

"I can never ride again, or bond with my woman – or hear the voice of Eywa," he said, his voice thin. "I can not lead the People. You will lead them, Jakesully."

Jake shook his head slowly. "No. I'm not officer material."

Tsu'tey tightened his grip on Jake's arm. His voice was calm again.

"It is decided. You will do the duty of Olo'eyctan. Set my spirit free."

_Set his spirit free?_ Did he mean –?

"I'm not killing you."

Tsu'tey closed his eyes. "I am already dead."

"No." _No, not this, brother. Please. I don't know if I can do this._

"It is the way. And it is good. I will be remembered – " he smiled, opening his eyes to look one last time into Jake's. " – I fought with Toruk Makto, we were brothers – and he was my last shadow."

Tsu'tey shifted, moving his hand from Jake's arm. Jake took Tsu'tey's hand in his own, gripping it hard. Drawing his knife with his other hand, he moved forward, blocking the light of the rising sun.

"_Forgive me, my brother. Go now, to the mother spirit_."

There was no sound. Jake forced himself not to look away. Through a haze of tears, he saw hundreds of tendrils begin to sprout from the root bed beneath Tsu'tey. They enveloped him, growing to meet his severed queue, connecting him to the earth. The glowing pulse of energy that surrounded him flowed into the ground, becoming fainter with each beat until it was still and dark.

Jake pressed his forehead to Tsu'tey's, still warm from his life. Rising to his feet, he turned to Mo'at.

"I will lead the People. I will try."

Mo'at nodded. "You will be a good leader. Tsu'tey knew this."

Jake cleared his throat. If he was going to become a leader, now was the time to begin. He turned to his clan.

"We're going to send the humans back, now, back to the stars."

Neytiri translated for him, her last words drowned in a resounding cheer.

* * *

"_Maru_!"

Braids flying, tail snapping, Onui'lk sprinted across the airfield and leapt into the arms of the taller na'vi warrior, who embraced her back with all his strength.

"_Onu, little sister…I am glad to see you alive_," he exclaimed, squeezing her in his strong arms. They both laughed with relief, holding each other close. Maru'atwe was a tall, muscular na'vi adorned with a fearsome array of feathers and bones of hunted palulukan. Two thick stripes of red had been painted on his body and the sides of his face along with smaller strokes of black and white. Under the paint, his features were bold and strong, but welcoming, and his smile was almost boyish as he laughed alongside his sister.

"_Brother, we have won_," Onui'lk declared, pulling away. Taking her bow in hand, she raised it in the air as a gesture of salute. "_We have won_!"

Maru'atwe raised his spear in turn, and shouted a victory cry. Onui'lk joined him, ululating, and soon every na'vi in Hell's Gate was yelling in triumph. Hayley yelled with them, raising her assault rifle in the air and shaking it. She bared her teeth, hissing. She wished she could have been a part of the bigger battle. Even now, she felt the strength and courage of the combined forced of the na'vi clans. She wanted to paint her body and fight among them, to be a warrior, to conquer all threats together…

Then she spotted Norm.

As soon as she saw his expression she knew something had gone wrong. He was wearing army fatigues and had the same gun she could shoot with one hand in her avatar gripped in both of his. She walked over to him, crouching beside him to match his height. Afraid of what she might see, she didn't turn to look at him.

Hayley didn't know what to say, so Norm was the first to speak.

"She died during the night. Brain hemorrhage."

Silence again, between them.

"I'm sorry, Norm."

Norm looked at the asphalt ground of the airfield.

"She was amazing."

His hands tightened on the gun.

"I should have listened to her. She wanted to go to Eywa. Instead, she bled to death on a table, body _and _mind."

He shook his head.

"I'll never get to hear her again. I could have brought her to the tree, she could have passed through and…" he stopped, voice choked with feeling.

"Maybe it's not too late," Hayley offered gently. "We should bring her to the tree, quickly."

"It's no use. Her brain is too damaged. She's gone."

"It's not your fault, Norm," Hayley protested, but she could only watch as he struggled with his emotions.

"I'm staying here," he said. "I want to join them, the Omaticaya. I want to become a na'vi, permanently."

"The way they tried with Grace?"

"Yes."

Hayley thought about the ramifications of Norm's decision. It meant he could never go back to Earth – but then again, he was a criminal now. Still, he could remain in his human form and reside in Hell's Gate, taking part in both of the worlds that were now going to exist on Pandora. Why forsake human life so soon? Hayley certainly wasn't prepared to leave her real body behind. Maybe it was Norm's way of coping with Trudy's death. Maybe he couldn't stand being human anymore.

Either way, she was already feeling a sense of loss. How often would she see him if he joined the Omaticaya, the clan that had clearly ostracized her? Perhaps, in time, they would grow to accept her again, but until then –

"I'll miss you, Norm," she said. "I'm not ready to make a decision like that, not yet. The team will miss you too. You were a top-notch anthropologist."

Hayley felt her heart skip in relief as she saw Norm smile faintly.

"Thanks, but I'll still be an anthropologist, just minus the anthro half."

The term anthropology meant "the study of humans", _anthro _being the "human" half of the discipline. Hayley grinned at Norm.

"Nice one."

"Na'vipologist just doesn't have the same ring, unfortunately."

"Maybe there's a word for it in their own language."

Norm nodded in agreement.

"Maybe."

* * *

They gathered the humans.

Gun in hand, Hayley watched the humans form a line, filing into the Valkyrie looming overhead. Jake and Neytiri were present, standing alongside Norm and Max. Onui'lk and her elder brother stood further down the line, weapons readied. Hayley also spotted Li, Lucas, and the other avatar drivers here and there. Together, among with scores of na'vi warriors, they watched their enemy retreat. They cheered one last time as, watching from a safe distance from the airfield, the Valkyrie launched into the air with a resounding roar.

* * *

Maybe it wasn't over. But, for the moment and for many years to come, they were safe at last.

They feasted and danced, at the Tree of Souls. And after everyone had their fill, they gathered around the tree to perform the ceremony of passage for two of the warriors that had helped to bring them peace at last.

Hayley was among them, alongside Onu and her brother Maru. As the glowing strands enveloped the base of her queue she suddenly felt herself being drawn into the consciousness of hundreds of other na'vi. Immersed in such a multitude of individuals, Hayley was taken aback by the realization of how much the same they all were together. They all felt joy in their hearts at being free and keeping the great web of life intact, and the earth shared their joy. They heard Eywa welcoming the two visitors from the stars, having seen their strength and worthiness through countless eyes and minds. As they all became further enmeshed, they thought as one –

_Eywa, let them become People._

Jake was first. From all angles they saw Neytiri cradling Jake in her arms, bringing him forth to the dias and laying him there. Mo'at led them, leading the chant that would focus their collective will in bringing him from one side to the other.

As he floated out of his human mind into the link, Neytiri removed his mask and kissed his eyes, one after the other. Hayley felt Neytiri's worry herself as she moved to Jake's avatar body, cupping his head in her hand.

Hayley felt a jolt, and for a brief moment she, they all became Jake. They saw the dying Earth, the filthy streets and decaying buildings, the smoky air. They saw another war, this time the humans fighting amongst themselves. They felt the memory of the bomb blast that took his legs in unison, shuddering against the blast. They ran among the trees, soared with his banshee. And then, as briefly as the knowledge had come, it was sucked away, gathering itself into the vessel that lay upon the dias.

Jake's eyes flew open, pupils contracting, looking up to see Neytiri, lips parted, smiling at him.

"My Jake."

She helped him to his feet. Jake looked around, as if ware for the first time in his life. He felt the roughness of the roots under his feet, the coolness of the moss and other foliage. He inhaled the tepid air, filling his lungs. He wanted to run again, like that first time. But instead he kissed Neytiri, and every na'vi present understood and rejoiced with him.

Hayley heard the echo of a thought close by;

"_It is our time."_

Onui'lk was on her feet. Intoxicated by the link, Hayley rose to her feet uncertainly. Behind them Norm stood by his own avatar body. He looked at Hayley.

"I'm ready."

Queue in hand, Onui'lk connected with Norm's body. After a few moments she was bonded, and helped Norm's avatar to its feet.

Hayley smiled.

"Do you want me to carry you too?"

Norm returned the grin.

"It's alright."

Avatar and human walked together to the dais. Jake stood, Neytiri at his side, and watched as Norm made his way to the stone platform, carefully choosing his path among the multitude of glowing roots. Mo'at began the chant again, and the na'vi responded, willing each other to begin again. They swayed back and forth as they continued their bond with each other.

Onui'lk/Norm walked up to the dias as well, and Onui'lk willed Norms body to lay down among the roots, curling into a fetal position. Satisfied, she delinked and knelt beside his body, resting for a brief moment before she rejoined the others in summoning Eywa.

Mo'at called, the chorus answered, and Norm too faded as tendrils began to pierce the base of his skull.

"See you on the other side, Norm," Hayley said, taking off his mask.

As soon as she reconnected herself, Hayley felt Norm's memories flooding the vicinity of the tree. Through his eyes, she saw his own experience at the University, saw lecture upon boring lecture and suffered through the anxiety of a multitude of tests. She felt his elation upon first connecting with his avatar in the test runs on Earth. She saw him boarding the valkyrie bound for the _ISV Venture Star_. Once again, these memories faded as quickly as they had came, channeling themselves into Norm's avatar.

Exhausted, Hayley delinked and went over to Norm's body. His eyes flared open, but his pupils did not contract; instead, they dilated with pain. Norm began breathing rapid, shallow breaths, as the pain in his chest registered in his new brain.

"Hang in there, Norm," Jake said, kneeling beside him, "you're doing great."

"Yeah, Norm," Hayley agreed. "It's gonna hurt like hell for a bit, but you'll be riding your very own Ikran in no time."

Norm moaned with the pain.

Jake turned to Mo'at.

"Is there anything you can do for him?"

"It's fine," Norm rasped. "I'm thirsty, though."

Mo'at spoke in rapid na'vi, and a male soon came with a pouch. Hayley helped Norm carefully sit up, guiding the water to his lips. He drank deeply, coughing a little afterwards.

Neytiri offered Jake a bundle of herbs from the case slung around her body.

"Eat this, it will help the pain."

He took the herbs, bringing them to his mouth. He chewed slowly on them, and when at last he had finished he slumped backwards. Hayley helped him back to the ground, then stood.

"What happens now, Jake? What do we do next?"

"Tonight we rest at the Tree of Souls," Jake replied. "Tomorrow the clans will ride home, but we will stay here. I will send scouts to find a new home for my people."

"What about the humans?"

"Talk to the other avatar drivers. Ask them what they want to do. They are welcome to join the Omaticaya, if they want. They will have to face the same trials I did. Tell them they can join with their avatars too, when they're ready. And make sure you stay in contact with us. We'll come and visit Hell's Gate now and again."

Hayley nodded. Tonight, she would rest. As for tomorrow – there were many tomorrows ahead, and too little time to think about them. She would figure out what she was going to do after she had slept.

Tomorrow morning, she hoped, she would know what she really wanted.


	8. Chapter Seven: v79 Plans

VLOG ENTRY: 79

Location: Living Quarters

Researcher: King, H. ID# 026 ADC 018

P.I: Lucas, M. ID# 004 GNA 045

LST: 7:12:45:02

Date: 08/25/2154

TRANSCRIPT

I'm not sure why I'm doing these anymore. Are we sending these back to Earth?

A lot happened last night, and I'm not sure I even believe all of it. Trudy's dead, Norm's a na'vi, Sully is the new leader of the Omaticaya. It's hard to believe that things can change like this, so fast, after spending eight years of my life here. What did we do in those years? We took samples. Grace wrote a book, the defining book on xenobiology. We had the school, but now there's nothing to show for it.

All that time, and I never got to really see the inside of na'vi life.

My department is xenobiology, which means that I'm more concerned with the way things on Pandora work, the way they function as biological machines. For all that Grace did, she never got close enough to the na'vi to study them. We have the genetic sequence, but ethical concerns have stopped us from growing much more than tissue samples. Studies in hybridization and neurotransmission, on the other hand, have been a completely different story.

I'm relatively new on the scene, but I was lucky enough to be a part of the bioengineering project that gave me an avatar. I didn't do much, really. I was mostly on the testing side of things.

I've had two avatars. The first one was one of the very first. It looked very human. Let me see…rounded ears, humanoid nose, stunted tail, no bioluminescent markers. Sterile. Produced no offspring that survived for more than twelve months. I'm sure the full document report is filed somewhere – I should reread it some time. In some ways I felt more at home in it because it was closer to my own form.

The team I was working with felt that the na'vi would reject my avatar were I to make contact with them, and so my first avatar was vivisected, and then incinerated.

I've probably mentioned all of this before, but I don't feel like looking over my older entries. I appreciate the speed of videologging but I am more inclined to write. When I write I remember things better.

My current avatar isn't cutting edge, comparatively, but for all intents and purposes it looks like an adult female na'vi. The only visible difference are the five digits instead of four, but that's more of a neuroscientific requirement than anything else. If we were to spend a lot of time in an avatar with four fingers we would begin to lose the ability to use our own fifth finger. Having five toes is more of a balance issue, but the same problem holds. We still have the problem of phantom tails, but I've been lucky – mine doesn't hurt, I just feel it there, from time to time.

So I guess I should talk a little about current events.

I have made contact with the Eastern Ikran Clan via _Onui'lk te Ikolu Le'ajir'ite_. Female na'vi, approximately 170, maybe 180 pounds Pandorian weight. Fairly strong build, waist-length hair. I'll try to see about getting a picture of her, if she'll let me. She's a hunter, or a warrior, or both. I don't know if this is common of females in her clan.

I'm already playing anthropologist.

I'm caught between worlds now, between fulfilling my duties as a biologist and my potential future as a member of the clan.

I don't know what's going to happen to everyone now. To all the people who stayed behind. A lot of them say they stayed in the pursuit of science, but, I'm sorry to say this, but it's bullshit. They don't want to go back to our dying Earth, and they don't want to suffer the consequences of their defection there.

Maybe I'm being too harsh. Pandora is the only planet we know of that has a biosphere anymore, so really, it's the only place to study plants and how organisms interact and support each other in a natural environment.

That being said, I know that people have other plans in mind.

Not that I blame them, it's not like I'm any different.

For now, I'll be documenting my interactions with the clan and with Onui'lk, as well as submitting my research as always.

Hayley out.

END OF VLOG LST: 7:17:32:10


	9. Chapter Eight: Renewal

"I fucking hate doing videologs."

The mess hall was unsettlingly empty. Hayley wondered just how many people had boarded the ship on the previous day. A dozen or so people clustered around the solitary table she herself sat down at, plateful of rations in hand. The group was a mixture of avatar drivers and scientists - no maintenance workers or marines in sight.

"Why are you still doing them?" It was Li. Hayley was relieved to see that he had made the choice to stay. Despite him grating on her nerves at times, it was good to have someone familiar around.

Hayley paused to think. "I…don't know, really. Maybe I'm hoping that someone out there wants to listen to them."

"I've never been a fan of them myself," Li replied, putting his glass down. "It's too easy to get personal. You forget that someone else is going to be listening to you in the future."

Hayley dug into her own food. There were too many questions to ask. Would they be responsible for the food supply now? She had never been particularly good at growing things or taking care of animals. The ration supply would run out eventually without fresh incoming shipments, so they would have to take special care in maintaining the gardens in the sprawling basement complex. There was only so much the machines could do. And what about the machines? Didn't they need unobtainum to continue running, or repair themselves?

There was far too much to think about.

"Lucas wants us to meet in the briefing room in half an hour," Li mentioned.

"All right, but it's got to be quick, whatever he has to say," Hayley replied. "Village life starts early."

"I'm sure the first thing all of you are wondering this morning is what we're going to do from here on out."

Despite its starkness, the briefing room always left an impression on the inhabitants of Hell's Gate. It was the first room that every recruit gathered in on waking up from cryo. It was a taste of things to come.

Matt Lucas, imposing in his older human form, addressed them all from the front of the room. The blinds had been opened to let the early morning sun filter in. Through the window, Hayley could see the forest encroaching on the far fence. She watched banshees twirl through the air, settling here and there on the ramparts.

_Eywa is reclaiming the earth._

"We are scientists. We pursue the truth; we crave understanding. We want to uncover the world's mysteries, to understand the underlying mechanisms of reality and of life."

He paused.

"I see no reason why the absence of the RDA should prevent us from continuing to pursue a greater understanding of both the ecology and the cultures of Pandora," he continued, looking out the window.

"In fact, or continuing research may help our own species in turn…

"Jake Sully summed it up when he spoke of humans 'killing their mother'. We will never know the extent of the damage humankind has done, because we can no longer study our native ecosystem on Earth. We failed to respect the system of life that supported us and a plethora of creatures that no longer walk the face of any planet.

"As humans ourselves, we must jointly bear the responsibility of being a species that, up until the present moment, have been nothing but destroyers of life in the universe. We nearly allowed ourselves to replicate the damage done on Earth here. We now have the opportunity to halt the spread of extinction in our galaxy.

"Pandora is our last hope. There may be other planets that support life in the universe, but it will be too late to find them unless we can salvage our precarious situation. Unless humans find the means to support themselves, they will go extinct before the reach the next star.

"We have discovered a mushroom-like organism here that feeds on radiation and breaks down toxic compounds in the soil. The bioluminescence of the night provides a chemical, renewable light source for all the planet's inhabitants. Imagine if we were able to engineer these biological adaptations for life in Earth's atmosphere, and introduce them to our home world? In time, we might even be able to reintroduce older, native species from the seed banks and restore our planet.

"And so I propose you all do the following; carry on your research. Live among the na'vi, if you can, and learn their ways. Explore the jungle, collect more data, run tests. We will continue to submit our findings on the superluminal communications networks. In time, we may make discoveries that will allow humanity to survive.

"If we are successful, then perhaps in time, when humans return to Pandora, they will do so without guns and explosives. They will only take what they need to help the human race, and leave this world in peace.

"The na'vi, I have heard, speak often of balance, of the borrowing and returning of energy. We need to learn from their example, so that the human species can use energy in a way that can be renewed, not wasted."

Taking his gaze away from the window and the forest beyond, Dr. Matt Lucas turned to face the motley arrangement of Pandora's last human inhabitants.

"With your permission, I will oversee this project. If anyone opposes this, please speak now."

There was silence, then applause.

* * *

"I'll miss this place."

She had said the words under her breath, speaking out loud to no one in particular. Even in the daylight the beauty of the Tree of Souls was undiminished. Hayley, linked into her avatar, stood at the lip of the crater. Taking one last long look at the tree, she turned to join Norm, Onui'lk, Jake, Neytiri and the rest of the Omaticaya in the funeral ceremonies.

They had dug carefully through the winding roots until they had made four hollows in the earth. Inside them lay three humans and a Na'vi. The body of Tsu'tey, curled in a fetal position like the rest, dwarfed the bodies of Jake, Norm and Trudy. Naked, their bodies had already begun to be penetrated by the tendrils of the tree.

Jake and Norm stood in front of their own graves, sacred seeds in hand. Neytiri knelt before Tsu'tey's grave, Onui'lk in front of Trudy's, and together they lay the seeds over the bodies of their comrades, both gone and still present. Ninat led the clan in a rising chorus, the voices of the Omaticaya creating a beautiful and eerie melody.

Hayley joined the others, sprinkling palmfuls of earth over the graves. Dozens of blue hands worked together, raining the dirt down over the hollows, until they began to fill. The singing swelled. Hayley did not weep, but in that moment she could feel the collective grief wash over her, as if she was linked with them all.

Looking to her left, she saw Neytiri still kneeling, weeping openly, moaning in grief. How many that were close to her had died? Her father Eytukan, her mount Seze and her teacher and mentor Grace had already been laid to rest - this was the fourth burial ceremony she had presided over in the past few days. Hayley could only hope that it would be the last for her for a long time. Jake, arm around his mate, had tears running down his own face.

Grace.

Grace was gone, but she had passed into the eye of Ewya and for that Hayley was reassured. She wanted to talk to her, badly, but the Tree of Voices had been destroyed, and the Tree of Souls was a silent place, for prayers to be heard only but not answered. With each sacred seed that fell, though, a new tree would eventually rise, and Hayley hoped that she would survive long enough to be able to talk to her mentor and friend again.

As for the others, Hayley had barely known Tsu'tey or Trudy. She felt grief for Norm's sake, and for the others, but she had not lost like they had. In fact, her life was beginning, and her excitement at joining her own clan was tinged with a pang of guilt for feeling joy in such a moment. Still, she couldn't help it.

"_In our clan, we mourn until we have lost our sorrow, and then we feast and dance in memory of that person which passed through the eye of Ewya_," Onui'lk said. "_It is the same with the Omaticaya, I believe."_

"_Will we stay, then, if they celebrate tonight?"_

"_We can return in the evening. For now, I must return to my own clan. They will be performing the last rites for our own matriarch soon, and as part of the clan, we must attend them."_

Hayley wasn't sure if she could bear another funeral, but there was no choice.

Onui'lk smiled. Reaching around her neck, she grasped at a bone ikran flute similar to the token she had given Norm. She blew on it, and it whistled soundlessly. Eskareil emerged from the nearby trees, dark wings flapping. He landed a short distance from them, keeping away from the others involved in the ceremony.

"_Come_."

"_Wait, I need to talk to Norm_ _first_."

Onui'lk nodded and Hayley went over to Norm. He was standing over Trudy's grave, but he was no longer crying. Taking seeds from a pouch at his side, he knelt and was scattering them over the freshly turned earth. Hayley approached, crouching down beside him. It was strange, seeing him garbed in the feathers and beads and bones and leather of a true na'vi, but it somehow suited him. Still, she felt slightly self-conscious in a tank top and khakis.

"Neytiri gave me these to plant," Norm said, folding the earth over the seeds.

"Flowers."

"Yeah. Maybe I'll try planting some Earth species later. The na'vi don't believe in cutting flowers to lay on graves."

"How are you doing?" Hayley asked, tail twitching.

"I'm better." Norm smiled, meeting her eyes. "I'm not totally there yet, but I'm getting there."

"I'm glad," Hayley replied. "She saved the Tree of Souls. Even if they don't know her, the na'vi are grateful to her. I'm sure they consider her a hero."

"She was a hero. I wish I could have saved her. She deserved to live." Norm paused, and Hayley could see him struggle for a moment. Retaining his composure again, he cleared his throat. "But I've learned now, though. I know that death can be better than life, in the arms of a goddess. I hope that somehow, some part of Trudy made its' way to her. I still hope it wasn't too late."

Hayley placed her hand on Norm's arm.

"I have to go for now. I'm coming back tonight, for the burial feast."

"I'll be waiting."

As Hayley was leaving, she heard Norm speak again.

"Good luck with Onui'lk and the clan."

She turned around to see him standing, smiling at her.

"Thanks," she said, waving her hand in a last farewell. Hopping up onto Eskareil, she gripped him tightly with her legs, wrapping her hands around Onui'lk's waist. Struggling with the weight, Eskareil beat his wings and cried out until they lifted off the ground. Launching into the sky, they skimmed over the trees, gaining speed until they could get higher into the air.

She had flown on a banshee once before, but it was different in the daylight. It was nothing like riding in a Samson, either. The trees grew smaller and smaller until it was difficult to pick out any single feature of the forest. Hayley felt herself reeling from the height, intoxicated.

It was utterly thrilling to fly. Enormous hometrees sprouted up from the forest below, branches twisting into the sky. They banked and soared between them, sometimes close enough to touch the vines hanging from their foliage. Vine-covered clusters of rocks floated lazily around them, and from time to time Hayley could feel a light mist from the waterfalls above them. As if reading her mind, Onui'lk urged Eskareil upwards until they were among the floating mountains. They plunged through the clouds; Hayley could feel her stomach drop every time they emerged into the sunlight, revealing the ground far beneath them. She whooped as loud as she could, exhilarated.

Onui'lk glanced over her shoulder with a grin and pointed. Hayley looked ahead to see a faint but sparkling blue ribbon ahead of them.

The Eastern Sea.

_Almost home._


	10. Chapter Nine: Dance of Life

A bright sapphire ikran shot through with bands of silver glided through the air, rising in slow circles to catch the warm draft of air rising from the steaming jungle. The hunter perched atop its back crouched, swaying with the movements of his mount, shifting their combined balance to ascend with the wind.

Gripping the handhold wrapped between the ikran's antennae in one hand, Maru'atwe raised his arm in a gesture of greeting.

They were still far, but from a distance Maru saw his sister raise her own hand, and wave it back and forth slowly. He could see that she was riding with the Dreamwalker, Hailei Kin'.

As he drew closer to them they began to bank, drawing the large spirals that would bring them down to earth. Tilting his own mount, Naela, he spun downwards, guiding the ikran into drawing his wings tighter to speed the descent. When they had caught up, they eased, and unfolded into their entire taut length.

Two ikran and three na'vi descended together, spiraling like kites in the wind.

The land began to become more defined. There had been four strips of colour before - the green of the jungle, the earthy gold of the field beyond, the grey of the rocky shore, and at last, the blue of the sparkling sea. In the light of the sun the gleam was almost unbearable to look directly at.

Closer still, and Hayley spotted a settlement clinging to the shore, sprawling back through the plains. The most prominent structures faced the sea; there were four of them, constructed from wood and covered with leather.

"_What are those large buildings for?_" she asked, reaching in front of Onui'lk to point them out.

"_They are for gatherings, and rituals_," Onui'lk replied, raising her voice above the roar of the wind.

The entire Ikran clan seemed to be assembled around the buildings, a small clearing in the center. Behind the main gathering, Hayley saw a small assembly of huts where, she assumed, the clan lived and slept in. The village extended back to the edge of the jungle.

"_Do you ever go into the jungle_?"

"_Of course, to collect things and hunt, or to take shelter from land beasts like palulukan. We live by the shore because the ikran live there. Some, that are not hunters, choose to live in the trees nearby. You cannot see them from the sky, but they are there_."

Turning out of the spiral, Onui'lk guided Eskareil into a smooth dive, which curved upwards to slow them. The ikran then began to bat its wings furiously, and they gradually hovered to the ground. Behind them, Maru and Naela were making a similar landing.

They had landed just behind the assembly. Onui'lk delinked and helped Hayley to the ground. Her legs were shaking still, after the exhilarating flight. She wondered to herself if flying ever got old with the na'vi. She couldn't imagine herself becoming bored with the feeling of gliding far above the earth – or Pandora, to be more precise.

As she approached, she saw a red-painted na'vi lying still on the ground in the middle of the assembly. Standing in front of her was a man she could only assume was the spiritual leader, covered in bones and skulls and beads. He appeared to be just past middle age, and still stood tall and erect as he chanted, waving his hands over the body.

"_They are mourning our clan leader_," Onui'lk said. Hayley turned to look at her, and she could see that her friend was struggling with her own emotions.

The rest of the people joined him, chanting and singing. Many began to weep, raising their hands to the sky. Hayley, overcome once again by the collective emotion, joined them in singing. Onui'lk raised her bow in the air in remembrance of the battle, and soon her brother and the rest of the hunters raised theirs.

After a time the spiritual leader motioned for them to stop, and they all grew silent. Silently, he lifted his arms, palms upturned, in the direction of the sea. Beyond them, in the setting sun, were outcroppings of dark rock springing up from the sea. Looking closer, Hayley could see a great flock of Ikran circling each, with many more roosting on the rock's surface.

Soon, however, the ikrans left the rocks and began to circle the shore, flocking above them. The shaman closed his eyes, lifted his hands high into the air, and then quickly brought them down.

_A sky burial? _Hayley wondered, a bit nervously. She was uncomfortable with the burial practiced by some extinct cultures on earth, which involved leaving the dead on a mountain for the birds to consume.

Several Ikran descended upon the body, lifting the prone form in their claws. They glided off the edge of the cliff, shrieking.

Pointing his hand towards the retreating body, the shaman cried out, and the Ikran loosened their grip. The clan matriarch fell through the air, landing in the water and quickly sinking beneath the surface.

_A water burial._

"_Thus we come from the water, and thus we return to the water_," the shaman said, addressing the crowd.

The crowd repeated the mantra in union.

"_Thus we come from the water, and thus we return to the water_."

Onui'lk suddenly strode forward, making her way to the front of the crowd. She dipped her head, bowing slightly, bow in one hand.

"_Erluei, may I speak with our people_?"

The shaman nodded his head, and Onui'lk took several more steps, and then turned to face them.

"_My brothers and sisters, we have fought well on this day and we are free. We must mourn the loss of the fallen, but we must also now rejoice, to bring back life into this world of death_."

The crowd murmured, voicing their approval of this sentiment. Hayley heard several ululations ring out.

"_And though we have lost much, my people, we have not lost as much as others. The Omaticaya, another family from the jungle and the clan of the Toruk Makto, have lost their children, their mothers, and their home. The dance of life will be difficult for them tonight, and thus I propose to you this, now; that we fly to the Omaticaya, with food and drink, and celebrate as two families the continuance of life. What do you say?_"

"_This is a good thing, Onui'lk_," Erluei replied.

"_I am not your leader_," he continued, addressing the larger crowd, "_but I hope to guide you in matters of the soul. This is a good thing, and I ask you now to do as our huntress has spoken_. _Tomorrow we will elect our new leader, but tonight we will show the Omaticaya the extent of our hospitality._"

The Eastern Ikran clan cheered, and the crowd quickly dispersed in preparation for the evening's festivities. Hayley came to Onui'lk's side.

"_So, we're bringing the party to their place_."

Onui'lk nodded, her familiar grin surfacing to her face.

"_So it seems_."

* * *

They found Jake Sully and the others by an enormous tree, in the heart of the jungle. The Omaticaya clan was making preparations to move into a new home. It would take centuries for them to properly shape the tree, but for the time being they had made it a hospitable enough place to live. Jake had already sent his people out to gather the supplies necessary to make new cooking pots, hammocks, a new loom, and countless other things they would use in daily living. Several hunters were already scouring the jungle looking for food, and some of the females were gathering fruits in the near vicinity.

One by one, the members of the Eastern Ikran clan descended to roost in the expanse of branches that extended far above the canopy. They scrambled through leaves and vines until they reached the trunk, making their way downwards to the heart of the tree. The mosses and other growth in the hollow centre had not yet been properly cleared, but it was easy enough to navigate through them.

They presented the Omaticaya with the food they had gathered, pouring the intoxicating fruit extract had on special occasions into drinking bowls they had brought with them. Others still had brought cooking supplies, which they intended to leave with the Omaticaya to help them establish themselves in their new home.

Soon there was drumming, and singing, and dancing. With each drink Hayley found that he movements became more fluid, albeit a little less predetermined. The drink left her mind feeling pleasantly fuzzy, and whenever she looked at the bioluminescent lanterns hung from the wood of the new Hometree, or the fire blazing in the centre of the tree's core, she could swear that she saw a faint aura of multicolored light glowing and swaying around them.

At first she danced with Onui'lk, who then clapped her on the back and assured her she would be back as soon as she had danced with the others, and left her on her own. It was hard to remember, but she might have danced with Maru'atwe. Yes – she could still feel the grip of his strong arms around her shoulders, his hands gripping hers as she spun around in her blissful state.

But then there was a blank, and she was alone again, as alone as one could be while being jostled about in a mass of twisting bodies and hands gripping sloshing bowls.

_Goddamn, this stuff is strong._

"Hayley?" she could hear a familiar voice calling her name. It seemed to float lazily above the music and conversations. Hayley was mildly surprised that there were still conversations going on.

"Who…hold on, where are you…"

Five fingers wrapped around her arm, and she immediately recognized the lanky form of Norm's avatar. But it wasn't an avatar anymore, at least she remembered something happening and now he was –

"You came back," Norm said, smiling. Hayley was entranced by the way the orange light of the fire reflected over his azure skin.

She watched him as his eyes traveled up and down the length of her body, returning to her eyes.

"You look really different."

Hayley felt the heat of a blush rise into her cheeks, and hoped that the blue of her skin would mask the colour. Before they had left Onui'lk had insisted that she be dressed in a more traditional costume. Disappearing into her hut, she had emerged with a glittering gauze covered in tiny emerald beads, which had covered only her breasts and tapered off into a small pendant swinging around her bellybutton. The loincloth she wore was made of the same material, and draped around her thighs in the fashion of a short skirt. Onui'lk had braided her hair, making zigzag patterns on her skull. She had taken a handful of wooden beads from a small box and placed several on the end of each braid. She was wearing green and white feathers as well, sticking out from one ear.

"_Now you are beautiful_," Onui'lk had concluded, after dressing her up.

"_Not as beautiful as you_." Maybe it was unfair to compare, but Hayley was a little jealous of Onui'lk's own dress of silvery beads, not to mention the way she swayed her body as she walked. Hayley had never quite gotten the hang of sex appeal. It wasn't something that was looked for in her line of work.

Dressing lightly, however, was more of a necessity than anything when living near the equator of a planet, in jungle and on the scorching savannah. Hayley realized that she would have to become comfortable showing off this much skin eventually.

"How are you?" she blurted out at last, fumbling with her clothes, making sure she was covered.

"I'm ok," Norm said. He looked around them. "Everything seems sort of like a dream now."

"I know what you mean." She was having trouble holding onto reality herself.

"How are things with your new tribe?"

"Good, good," she answered.

And, before she could check herself –

"Do you want to dance?"

Norm hesitated for a second, but he nodded.

"Sure."

It was strange, taking another hand like hers in her own after being around so many that were different.

They swayed together, a little awkwardly at first, but they soon grew accustomed to each other's movements and swayed together in unison.

"I miss her," he said, as they danced.

Hayley wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"I know, Norm. It will get easier with time. Not that I have any experience."

Norm nodded. He stopped dancing. Hayley came closer.

"I'm going to have to be one of the People now," he said, looking down. "I'm going to have to learn how to hunt and fly on a banshee and choose a woman of the clan."

_Why is he saying this?_ Hayley put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, almost upsetting her balance.

"They're all strangers to me. They don't know me. I'm from a different planet, for Christ's sake. I don't have anything in common with anyone here."

"Norm…it's going to be ok…" She wasn't even sure of what she say saying.

"They don't find me attractive…they say I look too human. God, Hayley, what am I doing?"

And before she knew it, they were in each other's arms; lips pressed together, queues brushing up. There was only a spark, but with that spark Hayley felt her mind flooded with loneliness and grief, and pain.

Startled, she pulled back.

"Norm," she said, trying to recover herself, "we're drunk right now. Everything feels different. We can talk about it in the morning, if you want."

Norm nodded, still looking forlorn, but a little less so.

Then she felt Onui'lk pulling at her arm, guiding her away into the crowd and back into the festivities.


	11. Chapter Ten: Biomechanics

_ It's crazy in here, Norm. Wish you could see it._

_ First thing I remember after the fire and falling was a fuzzy light, almost not there. I swear I hear someone singing. Then something hit my face, and I stopped remembering._

_ I got sucked back, and then I started to drift apart._

_ I'm still me, but I'm not really me anymore. I'm her, now. I'm lots of people. _

_ I don't remember everything – I was away from her for a long time after I died – but I remember you. I'm not sad anymore. You'll see what I mean when you come here._

_ Take your time coming. You have your whole life to enjoy. Glad I could help give it to you._

_

* * *

_

"Fuck."

She was aware of her boots hitting the ground, and felt her body double up, fingers running fiercely through her hair.

Her hand came down in a fist, the impact absorbed by the gel lining of the link unit.

"Fuck!"

There was no hangover in her human body, but she still felt like shit. She went rigid, body quivering, breath shallow. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to let her embarrassment and anger fade, and soon enough, the shaking subsided.

The link room was empty but for her, the lights half-dimmed. She sat on the link unit and swept her eyes around and over the various instruments and mechanisms.

_All this, to make what they have in a bundle of neurons and fibers._

It made sense to her, what Norm had done. But it also didn't. He wasn't like them at all. He was an anthropologist in a world without _anthropos_. And what of her? It was true that there was plant life on Pandora, and it was strange and exciting, but Hayley wondered if she would ever stop feeling like an outside observer, a cold-hearted scientist and truly become a part of this world. She thought of her avatar, artificially constructed, with genes fabricated from bits and pieces of her DNA and some Na'vi they had probably slaughtered in the beginning of this whole mess. Was the woman she was half-cloned from with Eywa now?

And now she didn't even feel that comfortable in her own skin. It seemed that all was left to her was her soul, flickering back and forth between fleshy vessels.

At least Norm had that much. At least he had one body to call home.

She had never thought of him as all that attractive, either in personality or in looks, but when she stepped into her avatar he was the only one who she could connect with, tsaheylu or not. Hayley shook her head slightly. No, that wasn't necessarily true – she was becoming more and more attuned to Onui'lk's mannerisms – but with Norm it was easy. They came from the same place, from the same removed bubble of academia which had somehow remained nestled among the filth and fiber optics of their home world. They had been colleagues back there; they had shared a professional relationship for some time since landing on Pandora. He was the only piece of home she could cling to beyond Hell's Gate, the only human being she could find when inhuman herself.

It was ridiculous, she realized as soon as these thoughts surfaced in her mind. The Golden Age of Earth was over, and there was nothing left to even abandon, and yet she was feeling nostalgic. The Na'vi were better than humans – peaceful, harmonious, and strong – and yet she still went looking for the weak, flawed heart beating among them. Not that she really thought Norm to be weak, but he was human, and so carried with him, as she did, a destructive and violent history that was strangely attractive. Jake was also human, she acknowledged, but he was noble enough to deserve to be one of the People. She and Norm had yet to prove themselves.

But kissing him had been a mistake. They had been lonely and lost, not in love. They had been drunk – well, at least she had been drunk.

"Fuck."

And how was she supposed to face him now? She was furious at herself for the transgression – she had done the worst thing she possible could have to comfort him. He loved Trudy, and Trudy was dead, but of course that would make him love her even more for a time. He didn't need some fucked-out-of-her-mind girl on Na'vi LSD trying to lay a move on him. Especially when that girl had no idea what the fuck she was even trying to do with him.

Comforting and being comforted. It just didn't work, and now she had screwed things up. And to make things worse, all of this when they were supposed to be celebrating the victory of life over death. All of this petty fucking drama.

Her hands began to knead the interior of the link unit with a passion.

After all, if she was going to go through with this, she was going to be mated for life. Grace had explained how it worked over coffee months before. Each time a couple mated, their genetalia grew more and more to fit the other. Each time they performed tsaheylu, their queues grew more and more sensitive to each other to the exclusion of others of their same species. If they tried to bond with anyone else, the signal was still there, but it became weaker and weaker. This was especially true of young Na'vi attempting to bond with another of the same age. Something about the pheromones.

The healers and spiritual leaders could still bond with most, and exert their influence in powerful ways, Grace had said. They hadn't gotten everything worked out yet, but they were trying.

They were going to try until several young Na'vi were mowed down by gunfire in the wicker-and-wood schoolhouse Grace had painstakingly constructed for them.

And she had almost bonded with Norm that night. She had, for an instant, felt his pain as hers. She would have to be more careful from now own. What if Onui'lk required her to select her mate from the Eastern Ikran clan? What if she just didn't want to be with Norm for the rest of her life? What if she decided to stay with one foot in the human and another in the Na'vi world?

It was all up in the air, and she didn't like it at all.

There was a burst of static coming from the far edge of the room, as a computer screen flickered into life. The calm female voice Hayley had heard emanating from electronics her entire life spoke:

"Incoming transmission, Earth, Tango Base. Commander Boers, encrypted frequency."

Hayley leapt from the link unit and jogged over to the computer terminal as it continued to repeat its message;

"Incoming transmission, Earth, Tango Base. Commander-"

"I got it," Hayley snapped as she swung herself into the revolving chair and pulled up to the desk. "I got it. Initiate transmission."

Superluminal communications allowed for instantaneous communication between Earth and Pandora. Something to do with quantum physics, which was definitely out of her realm of knowledge. At any rate, someone on Earth was trying to contact them, and Hayley could only imagine why.

The screen flickered once more, and the dark face of a man in his 30s appeared on the screen. Hayley took a deep breath and assumed her most professional manner, face going politely and formally blank.

"Are you with the RDA?" asked the man whom Hayley could only presume to be Boers.

"This is xenobiologist Hayley King. There are no more RDA members left on Pandora. If you like, I can refer you to the current top-ranking official, Doctor Lucas-"

"I don't have a lot of time. Selfridge sent a transmission. The networks picked it up and the whole planet began to riot. We're barely running on emergency power."

"Why? What-"

"We need unobtainum back home, Dr. King. You know about the energy crisis. We had enough resources to run until the next shipment got back here, but once people heard that it wasn't coming – well, they knew they only had so long."

Haley had put her fingers to her open mouth without realizing.

"Jesus."

Boers nodded. "We had reserves that would have kept us going, until the news got out. People are slaughtering each other in the name of "conserving energy". There are rioters trying to break into every major RDA compound on the planet, trying to find a way onto a spaceship, any spaceship, that might bring them to Pandora."

"But they can't come here. I mean, I don't know what they should do, there must be-" Hayley stammered.

"I know they can't all come to Pandora. I would, if I could, but you guys are running out of resources yourselves, aren't you?"

"I-I don't know. We must be running on unobtainum, but we have solar too, and some water and wind power."

"Not enough to sustain an entire planet's worth of people," Boers replied solemnly.

"What are we supposed to do?"

Boers smiled. "There's nothing any of us can do anymore, but sit tight and wait. The RDA down on our end seems to be planning something but they're leaving the military out of it. They're not telling anybody, and they've kept any further transmissions from the incoming shuttle to themselves. Anything they send your way will take seven years, at any rate – plenty of time to prepare yourselves."

"What if they try to nuke the planet?"

"They won't. They're running out of resources – why waste more on trying to destroy what they need?" He paused. "You guys aren't fucked like us, not yet. I would ask you to try to speak with someone about getting the whole production up and running again, but I assume you sent the miners and technicians home too."

Hayley nodded. "I think so. Jake Sully was in charge of it. I can speak with him. I can try talking to Lucas. Maybe we can get the RDA to bring the shuttle back, see if we can ask the Na'vi to allow us take a little more unobtainum."

Boers nodded. "Maybe. It's a long shot. I can't get authorization to contact the Venture Star, but see if you can on your frequencies. I'm not sure if they left anyone out of cryo – it's generally procedure for these trips to have a rotating staff monitoring for transmissions and unusual readings. It seems that that is all you can do, for the moment. The governments are working on keeping the people calm and stopping the panic."

"I'll try contacting them right away, and I will speak with the Na'vi as soon as possible."

"Thank you. We'll keep in touch?"

"Of course."

Boers nodded.

"Boers out."

The screen went white until Hayley mumbled to the computer to end the transmission. Scrolling through documents and folders with shaking fingers, she attempted to open a link between the base and the Venture Star.

It took some time for the sensors to locate the ship, and begin to track it along its acceleration. The computer informed Hayley of these facts as she stared numbly at nothing in particular.

_I should be telling Lucas about this_, she thought as the screen blinked with the outgoing transmission signal. But she didn't know where he was, and she needed to get this done immediately. Every hour was another hour where the Venture Star was accelerating, moving faster and farther from the planet.

What was she going to do if they responded? Ask them to turn around and start mining again? Invite Parker Selfridge back into the base? Tell the Na'vi that sorry, the humans were more important than them after all?

The Na'vi would slaughter them.

Her fingers paused over the CANCEL option on the screen.

"Shit, shit, shit," she repeated under breath like a mantra.

Wasn't she supposed to be one of them? She didn't want to be responsible for the deaths of billions, though. Surely the Na'vi would understand – the needs of the many over the needs of the few.

Hayley started weeping, her eyes stinging and vision blurring the glowing text of the blinking OUTGOING message.

"Oh God…"

They had been doomed from the start, hadn't they? It was their fault they had gotten into this fucking mess in the first place. It wasn't right to take it out on the Na'vi. But it wasn't right to take it out on the people on Earth who hadn't wished for or even conceived of nuclear war and fossil fuels and goddamn greenhouse_ emissions_…

"Hello? Who is this?"

Hayley looked up to see Selfridge's smug face in the middle of the screen. She looked him dead in the eyes, through the pixels on the screen, through subspace, right into his eyes.

"Fuck you, Selfridge. FUCK you."

Hayley exploded out of her chair. Pulling her arm back, she launched her fist forward into the screen, smashing into it. A thin, long spider web of cracks blossomed from her lacerated knuckles.

"Transmission terminated."

She hit the screen again. More spider webs. She tried pulling it out of the terminal, but it held. She screamed hoarsely, primally, baring her teeth, tail whipping -

Then she was human again, and she saw the wreckage of the screen and became aware of the cold, empty metal room, like a cage. Rubbing her eyes hard with her thumbs, she turned her back to the screen and walked away, back to the link unit.

_I need to be somewhere with life, and light, and with fresh air to breathe…_


	12. Chapter Eleven: Sides

The first sight to materialize before her eyes was the prone form of Onui'lk. She was nestled in a bed of roots, smooth blue eyelids closed, round face peaceful in sleep, lips partly open. Her chest rose up and down beneath a glittering bead mesh, striped breasts visible through the moving folds. All around them, above and below, Na'vi were sleeping, bodies illuminated by the patterns of morning light that fell between the leaves and branches of the tree's canopy. Hayley and Onui'lk were lying near the center of the great entwined structure, bathed half in the same light, half in shadow. The smell of warm, musty earth and the sweat of male and female Na'vi permeated the air.

Reaching out, Hayley placed her hand on the sleeping Onui'lk's shoulder. Onui'lk breathed deeply, eyes fluttering, blinking, then opening wide. The half-open mouth formed a sleepy smile.

"_That was a good night. Too good_."

Hayley said nothing. She started to shake, and her eyes blurred.

Onui'lk's eyes opened in surprise and concern. Leaning in, she placed her hands on Hayley's.

"_Hailei, what is wrong_?"

A sob forced its way out of Hayley's windpipe. A sob of fear and horror and rage. Then another came, and before she could stop herself she was weeping and crying aloud.

"_Come, come, Hailei,"_ Onui'lk said soothingly, drawing Hayley up into her arms, holding the other woman close while she sobbed into her shoulder. Around them, others were stirring, woken by the noise.

"I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do_,"_ Hayley gasped. "They're all going to fucking die because of me!" Her voice echoed sharply through the canopy, and in the distance the weird cries of the jungle animals echoed in response.

"_Calm, Hailei_," Onui'lk said, gently but firmly. "_Try to tell me what is wrong. You went to your other body…did something bad happen while you were there_?"

"_Y-yes_," Hayley said, gaining a tenuous grip on her emotions. "_A message came from my home world. Many people are going to die because there will be no more silverstone_."

"_I have heard of the silverstone_," Onui'lk replied gently. "_I heard that it is needed to give life to your world. But to keep your world alive they were killing ours. That is not how the balance of life should be preserved_."

Hayley cleared her throat, struggling to keep her emotions under grips. She was aware of more and more Na'vi watching her from the branches.

"_The man I spoke with, he wants the others to come back to Pandora, to take more silverstone from the earth so that the humans can live. I know that the People will kill them all if they come back. But if I do not try, I will feel responsible for the death of my own people_."

"_Hailei, if you tell them to come back, they will die, your people will die, and more of us will die_," Onui'lk said at last, shaking her head. "_I do not wish to sound callous. I care about your people because I care about all life, and I care for you. But to take from this world again will only destroy both in the end_."

Hayley felt fresh tears welling up in her eyes.

"_I know you are right, I know it is our fault, but I am scared for my people, Onui'lk. I am scared for those who did not choose to die, and will die because of mistakes they played no part in. If there was something I could so…Onui'lk, I would do anything to save them. But I do not know what I can do. _"

Onui'lk nodded. Reaching over, she took Hayley's queue in her hand, taking it from behind her and placing it upon a root. Hayley watched as it began to embed itself into the wood.

"_Ask her_," Onui'lk whispered.

* * *

"_Jake_," came the raptured breath, sighing along with the breeze that ruffled the leaves and branches surrounding them.

They lay in a bower of entwined branches extending far from the core of the tree, suspended in the air. The forest below them was an earthy smear of trees, waterfalls and winding rivers, the Hallelujah mountains just visible beyond the hills and mist-pooled valleys.

It was like flying.

They lay together in the tree, Neytiri straddling Jake, moving along his body back and forth, beads clicking rhythmically as her hair swung. As she moved into him he would thrust, piercing deep until her body would tense with the pleasure. Through the bond he felt her, became her, and felt himself be penetrated in turn. As he moved his hands over the length of her body, they both shuddered in their female form. She bore down harder in response, and together they felt the warm tension along the length of their member.

Every time he was with Neytiri like this, ever since the first time they had mated under the pale violet glow of the Tree of Voices, he had come more and more attuned to her. She was his female counterpart, half of a whole of a greater being that they had become. In understanding her he was coming to understand himself. Through her, he felt the effect of his actions, his words, on her; looking through her eyes into his own, he felt her love for him, her devotion, which changed the way her saw himself. When they moved together, he came to understand what it was to be a female, to be Neytiri, and so in turn he understood what it was to be himself.

As they came closer together, they moved fluidly between each other, back and forth, until they both filled each other's minds. They moaned softly in unison as they climaxed together, Jake filling her, and Neytiri taking him in. Sweat broke out from their bodies as the tension subsided and they collapsed against each other, letting the branches take their combined weight.

Neytiri shifted from his hips, rolling to the side. Gently taking the queues in her hands, she separated them, and Jake felt himself snap back into his own spent body, felt his ribcage expanding and collapsing. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handful of leaves.

"_My Jake_," she murmured, placing a hand over her belly, rubbing it in slow circles.

Their mutual ecstasy was cut short by the sound of footsteps from further down the branch. Scrambling to his feet, Jake quickly slung his loincloth around him and emerged from the alcove, through the branches, to greet the person approaching them.

It was Mo'at . She greeted him with a slight nod of her head.

"_Olo'eyktan_", she said, "your presence is needed. Come."

"What is it?" Jake asked, following her as she strode back along the length of the branch towards the tree's core.

"There has been a visit from a daughter of Eywa," Mo'at said, turning her head to the side as she continued to walk.

"What does that mean?"

"A spirit has come to speak with you."

Jake shook his head.

"A spirit?"

Together they descended the spiral staircase of the tree's tendrils. Below them Jake could see a crowd gathering in the heart of the tree. There was someone in the middle, but he couldn't make it out.

At last they came close, and the crowd parted. Stepping through, Jake saw two females, one avatar and one Na'vi, standing in the middle of the throng. He recognized them both, but couldn't place the Na'vi women's name. He remembered the other one as Hayley.

"_I see you, Olo'eyktan_," Onui'lk said.

"_I see you_," Jake replied.

"Nice to see you again, marine," The other woman said in an all-too familiar condescending tone.

"Grace?" Jake said, taking a step back. _What the hell?_

"Who'd you expect, numbnuts?" Hayley-Grace replied with a knowing smirk. "What other spirit would wanna to talk to a jarhead like you?"

"This is way too weird," Jake stammered. "How the hell are you here? How did you get into, you know-"

"Look, we don't have time to talk about the mechanics, and to be honest, you always slept through my xenobiology lectures back at the base. The longer I stay, the harder it will be for Hayley to get back into her brain, so I need to keep it short.

"There's a problem back on Earth. Without obtanium, they've lost their source of energy. It would have been fine for the next few years but Selfridge had the tact to send a broadcast back to Earth and now the planet's in an uproar. They know they're doomed," Grace said, her voice losing some of its bravado. "And we have to help them."

"How?" _Did I do this? Is this my fault?_

"We can't let them keep mining," Grace said. "That will only destroy the Na'vi, and Eywa, and they bear no responsibility. But there's another way that might work. If we were to send the genome of some of the plants that can grow in the condition that Earth's in, plants that can convert the atmosphere into breathable air again, food plants that can grow in desert-like conditions, there's a chance that Earth can get back on its feet. Who knows, they may even be able to start growing some of the native species again. Lucas is still around, isn't he? He knows what I'm talking about. I need you to get into contact with him and bring him samples of these species." Grace handed Jake a piece of thin bark resembling parchment paper. Jake took it, looking it over.

"The names are written in Na'vi."

"I figured you might not know all the scientific names," Grace said. "Ask the People, they'll know which ones to get. When you have everything, bring it to the base and give it to Lucas."

"I still don't really get it, Grace," Jake said. "How are we supposed to send the plants back to Earth? We don't have a ship any more."

"Lucas can encode the genome. We have some of the genetic information already, but the Na'vi have denied us access to gathering plant samples anywhere other than directly outside the base before. With the genetic sequence, scientists back on Earth can start manufacturing the plants."

"We'll get the plants. We'll bring them back."

"Good," Grace replied. She seemed to be growing more fatigued. "I should go now. I shouldn't stay for too long. It's getting harder to animate this body."

Will you ever come back again?"

Grace gave another knowing smile.

"We'll see."

And with that, Grace bent her legs, sitting upon the ground. Drawing her queue, she planted it into the root.

"Trudy says hi," she said, as her eyes rolled upwards. She left, body collapsing against the tree. Onui'lk knelt, gently removing the queue and checking for signs of life.

"Grace is gone," she said, helping the body to the ground and turning to Jake, "but Hayley has not returned."

Jake nodded. "Tell her that Hayley is back at the base," he said to the others, and one clan member stepped forward to make the translation.

Jake waved the list in the air, holding it high for all to see.

"My brothers, sisters, - we have work to do."


	13. Chapter Twelve: Void

She had agreed to it, feeling the approval resonate within her mind and her old mentor's without making a sound. She felt herself become displaced, and would have almost gone through the link into the earth had she not felt the sterile, mechanical tug that accompanied a delinking.

Snapped back into her own body, she felt a deep disorientation followed by a throbbing in her right hand. Light flooded her sensitized eyes as the unit opened, clamlike, with a hiss. She felt hands lifting her body up, felt a wet stickiness on her back. She heard voices but no words.

A light was flashed back and forth in her eyes. Limp, head hanging to the side, she concentrated in an attempt to blink. Nothing yet. Through the confusion came a squeeze in her gut, and adrenaline began to flood her body.

Someone grabbed her hand, and there was a bright explosion of pain. She heard herself moan incoherently, faintly. This was good – it meant some motor control was getting through, she thought through the haze. So dizzy, though. She felt her arms and legs tingle in waves.

"…some localized function." – words, finally, were coming. It was Dr. Lucas, as far as she could tell. And someone else was speaking now; Li. Li was touching her face. Trying to get a response out of it.

"Dr. King, I need you to blink if you can hear me. Once for yes, two for no." It was Lucas.

One eyelid slid lazily along her eye. What was happening to her hand? There was pressure, and circular winding motions, and a hot pain emanating from the side.

"She's responsive," Lucas said. They were moving – Hayley watched the patterns of light and dark as strip bulbs flashed above her head through the corridor. They had placed her on a gurney.

"Did anyone attack you?"

Two blinks. The computer, Selfridge. Her hand – it hadn't hurt when she had gone to the link, but she hadn't looked at it. The monitors were made of a glass-like compound that was possible to fracture into shards. It had been a stupid thing to do.

Did you injure your hand?"

One.

She heard the screech of doors opening, watched the ceiling as they passed through them.

"Are you aware of the cause of the paralysis you are experiencing?"

One blink. The emergency delink had done it. The probability of it happening was low, but in some cases it had completely immobilized drivers within their own bodies, until medical help arrived. She moved the fingers of her left hand experimentally, and felt as her index and middle twitched. She was getting gradual restoration of function, which would make things easier for what little medical team remained in the base.

"We had to do an emergency delink for two reasons. One was the erratic brain patterns we were just picking up. The second being that you were bleeding badly from your hand. Are you aware of any unusual thoughts or feelings?"

Two blinks.

"Do you know what may have caused the erratic brain patterns?"

One blink. Her lips were so dry. She tried to wet them, and succeeded in moving her tongue upwards by a fraction. She began to notice errant tremors through the length of her body.

There was a bump, and she realized they were in the medical facility. They wheeled her into a corner, and hands proceeded to hook her up to various machines. Electrodes were placed on her skin.

"The medics are going to provide stimulation to your muscles," Lucas replied, "in order to try to sync them with your central nervous system. It will not be painful."

One blink, and a moan. She began to feel gentle buzzing sensations throughout her body. _Pity they don't need to do this to every part_…she thought, still giddy from shock.

"Applying general anesthetic to injury."

There was a small pinch, and her hand slowly went numb.

"You have fragments of the monitor still embedded in your hand," Lucas said. "You should only feel some tension, or a tugging sensation. Blink once if you need more anesthetic."

There was a tugging sensation, and Hayley saw a bloodied fragment of the transparent monitor clink into a shallow metal dish at her side. She coughed twice, and moved her lips experimentally. They moved, it seemed, adequately enough now.

"Maaath," she said, cringing internally at the sound of her voice.

"You are regaining more motor function. Good," Lucas said. He was hovering over her, friendly blue eyes striking from above. Glancing to the left, she could also see Li's, darker but piercing.

Another clink, a larger fragment.

"Quickclot is working effectively," one of the medics replied. "someone test her blood type in case we need to do a transfusion."

"Oh," Hayley blurted.

One of the medics came into her field of vision. It was a man in his 30s, brown hair, a slight beard.

"Positive or negative?"

"Pos."

"Thank you. We will double check, but I'll see if someone can get an O-positive pack down here."

Clink.

Shit. Had she really done that much damage?

She concentrated.

"Grace."

"Did she say Grace?" Li asked. "Did you say Grace?"

Blink.

Lucas's expression changed, understanding.

"The erratic brain patterns. We had hypothesized this."

Blink. It was still difficult to talk, but blinking was becoming faster, more fluid.

"What do you mean?" Li said.

Lucas turned to Li. "Dr. Augustine and I had hypothesized that it was possible that the Pandorian network could store the brain-states of organisms. What purpose this served was still hotly debated between Grace and myself, but it seems that there is a possibility that the theory, at least, has been confirmed. Grace, apparently, has found a way to enter Hayley's avatar."

Blink.

Li shook his head.

"I remember the time she took us to that tree…"

_When she let us all connect, together, to show us how even the solitary tree could bring us together, could let us tap into each other's minds. But you joked about it then, because you were scared, and you hurt Grace because she thought you were mocking her. I still don't even know if you really believe in Eywa. But I do, Chris. I haven't been through her eye quite yet, but I've seen her and she's real._

"Some of the trees are more receptive than others," Lucas explained. "The Tree of Voices and the Tree of Souls, for example. Grace died at the Tree of Souls. Her brain state should then, according to the theory and what little evidence we've gleaned, be exceptionally clear."

_Believe me, it was._

Blink.

Clink.

"We're finished removing the fragments," the medic said, swiftly removing the tray and dumping its contents into a biohazard bin. "We just need to apply the organic adhesive to prevent the lesions from deepening."

_Glue me back together, boys._

"Is she still in your avatar?" Li asked.

Blink_. I think._

"What happens if you try to link up with her in there?" Li wondered aloud.

"We should give Grace time, to do what she needs to do," Lucas replied, "and we need to give Hayley time to heal. Let's see if we can get someone over to the last location Hayley was in."

"Hometreh."

Lucas nodded. "The new Hometree, of the Omaticaya?"

Blink.

"Excellent. Li, link up. Get one of the men to fly you in. Don't forget to take a throat mike with you. Keep tabs on the situation for me as much as you can."

Li nodded, eyes flicking to Hayley's one last time.

"See you on the other side," he said, and disappeared.

"We need to run a series of tests now, to assess your motor abilities," the medic said. "You're going to find this extremely tedious, but it's necessary, to make sure what we have on the instruments matches your actual state."

Blink.

"Please move your index finger."

_When you said tedious…_

_

* * *

_

Some of the Na'vi crouched instinctively at the sound of the Samson – the war had not been over long. The scouts Jake sent up the length of the tree reported to him that it had landed on the far side of the river skirting the roots of the tree on the west side. Yerik darted through the roots, in fear, passing them by. One Omaticaya threw a bola, tangling a lone yerik's legs and taking it to the ground, where the male quickly finished him with the slice of a dagger to the heart. They began to hide the animal, cutting off the meat in thick slabs to be cooked over the numerous fires burning in the tree's alcoves.

The rest of the People milled about uneasily, watching, until Li's avatar emerged with hands raised above his head.

"_I do not seek to harm_," he shouted. "_I wish to see the dreamwalker among you, Hayley King._"

Jake emerged at the entrance to the tree.

"Come inside."

* * *

"She is still unconscious," Jake said.

Li knelt by the still but breathing form of Hayley. Onui'lk crouched at her other side protectively, hand placed over the woman's head. Li felt for Hayley's pulse, and found it to be fairly strong.

"She has been like this ever since Grace left?"

Jake nodded.

Li pressed his slender fingers to his neck.

"Her status is the same and holding, as far as I can tell. How long do you think Hayley needs before she can link up?"

There was a crackle of static before Lucas' voice came through the throat mike.

"Several hours, at the least. Tell them to keep her warm and comfortable. The avatar should be able to survive without food or water for a little while longer. Just keep monitoring pulse and respiration rates."

"Acknowledged."

* * *

"Li is taking care of my avatar?"

Lucas nodded.

"And your friend, the female from the Eastern Clan."

Hayley nodded, adjusting herself on the bed. "Onui'lk. She is a good friend. She'll take care of my avatar until I come back."

Lucas drew his chair closer to the side of her bed. Leaning in, he looked at her with concerned eyes.

"So, what happened?"

Hayley sighed.

"I'm sorry, it was stupid of me. We received a transmission from Earth, and – "

Lucas cut her off with a waving motion of his hand.

"I need to see that transmission immediately."

"It should be in the computer's data storage system," Hayley replied. "I should have come to you, Matt, but I got caught up-"

"It's fine," Lucas said. "I just need to see the transmission. I'm going to talk with someone in tech and see if they can get a new monitor hooked up."

Hayley nodded, feeling her cheeks flush.

"It won't happen again."

Lucas nodded.

"We'll see the extent of the situation. Then we can talk about what our best plan of action is," he replied, standing. "Worry about resting for now. Let the medication do its work. You should be ready to link up soon enough, but stress will reduce the effects."

"Alright. I'll talk to you soon," Hayley replied.

Hayley watched as Lucas strode through the double doors at the end of the medical room, and sunk back into her bed.

_Shit. _


End file.
